The Sun.
London, England, 1865-12-22 00:00:00

Lyons and Mediterranean.

SOuthern
Western
Eastern
Sardinian .
Austrian
Lombard
North of Spain
Saragossa.
Ditto to Barcelona
Roman

AMERICA.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAM.)
ARRIVAL OF THE NORTH AMERICAN.
(Via Greencastle.)
NEW YORK, DEC. 9, AFTERNooN.

Money abundant. Gold, 144 i. Exchange on London,
1591 ; on Paris, 3.55. Stocks dull. New. York Centrals,
961; Illinois, 132 ; Erie, 92} ; Five-Twenties, 1021. Cot-
ton heavy. Middling Upland, 48 to 49. Flour heavy.
Wheat and corn dull. Provisions steady. Coffee very
firm. Sugar quiet. Molasses steady. Petroleum very
dull. Crude, 41k; refined, 65 to 66.

THE INDIA, CHINA, AND AUSTRALIAN MAILS
SOUTHAMPTON, Dec. 22.

The Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Com-
pany's steamship Massilia, with the heavy portion of the
above mails, has arrived here with 83 passengers, £3,228
in specie, and 703 packages of general cargo.
From Alexandria to Gibraltar the Massilia experienced
north-easterly gales, with heavy sea. On the 15th inst.
she fell in with the French schooner Diligente, having
signals of distress at her masthead. The Massilia made
towards her, found thatshe was in a sinking state, and re-
ceived signals that the crew wished to abandon her. The
Massilia remained by the schooner for eight hours. As a
tremendous sea was running, and there being no prospect
of the weather moderating, the second officer and four men
ultimately volunteered their services, manned one of the
Massilia's boats, and rescued the crew, who were landed a
Gibraltar. _

GIBRALTAR, Dec. 17.
Exchange on London, 491 ; Paris, 523 ; Madrid, par.
Premium on 5-franc pieces, 1 per cent.
The war ships Racoon, Rodpole, and Skylark, and the
French vessel, Dix Decembre, were in the harbour.

POETRY.

-o ------

TO THE EDITOR OE' THE SIJN.

Sin,—I have been engaged on the poetical literature of
our country from the earliest to the present times, for now
several years. The book is well nigh completed, and most
of it in type. It contains nearly 500 lives of poets, as
many critiques, and more than 3,000 extracts. It also
points out, for the studious reader, additional sources of
information in case he may wish to pursue his researches,
which will often reward his patience and perseverance by
the discovery of some long-forgotten poem of rarest and
exquisite beauty.
It occurs to me that there are many writers who have
published poems in newspapers, magazines, and in single
volumes, and who, having no means of keeping them be-
fore the public, or even of giving anything more than a
mere local appearance, have been obliged to submit to their
being forgotten. In many of these volumes lam certain
many a beautiful poem will be found.
Now, I should be glad to add to the work such pieces
which, by their merits, have a just claim to appear in com-
pany with the poems of our more distinguished bards.
However carefully I may have pursued my researches, I
still feel that there must exist in Great Britain and Ire-
land numberless volumes of poems, by different authors,
which are to all intents and purr. oses unknown beyond
their own locality. If the writers and possessors of these
would kindly send their volumes to me, it would tend
greatly to make the book I have in hand really and truly
a national work. Trusting, for the sake of our country's
glorious literature, that many will respond to the call,
I remain, sir, yours obediently,
JOHN W. LESTER, D.D., Px. D.,
Incumbent of Norwood, Surrey, and Domestic Chaplain

to Lord Oranmore and Browne.
Lower Norwood (S.), Dec. 21.

The Fenian Trials.

-- 0-

CORK, Thursday

O'Connell was found guilty, and sentenced to 10
years' penal servitude. He made a violent speech.
After the sentence was passed he said : " I hope
there will be an exchange of prisoners before that
time." All the convicted prisoners were brought
up this evening, and lodged in Mountjoy prison."

FENIANINFORMERS.—In Irish political trials there
is a regular performer, who always comes on and.
lends a specially dramatic interest to the whole. This is
the "informer," as he is known to the crowd; the "ap-
prover," as he is more courteously known to the law. It is
dramatic to see this actor's entrance ; his furtive glance at
the galleries, as if there were enemies there ready to spring
on him; his timorous answers to the almost contemptuous
questioning of the Crown lawyers, who seem anxious to have
done with the "dirty work ;" his gradual gathering of con-
fidence
,as he feels safe ; his cowering look as the prisoner's
counsel advance to grapple with him ; his fawning expla-
nations and self-justification ; his falling back on brazen
impudence and bravado as he is obliged to confess
some fresh piece of treachery ; his half-savage and de-
fiant confession as ho is brought to bay and the truth
wrung from him ; and the bitter scowl of secret rage
at the skilful counsel who has forced him to make a de-
grading picture of himself. It were almost to be wished
that this mode of proving guilt were not known to our
law; though it must be admitted that it is always intro-
duced with reluctance, and thrown in as a make-weight ;
and that on this occasion all parties 'concerned seemed
to rest very little on the "Informer's" assistance.—Dickens,
"All the Year Round." •
GAS IN THE CITY.— At several of the wardmotes
held yesterday in the city resolutions in favour of the City
corporation undertaking to supply the city with gas were
carried, and it was stated that shortly proceedings would
be taken against the companies for not supplying gas of
the required standard.
FATAL BOILER EXPLOSION.—A boiler explosion.
of a serious nature, and attended with melancholy
circumstances, occurred on Wednesday afternoon at the
works of the Monkland Iron and Steel Company, Calder-
bank. One of the six large boilers which drive the ma-
chinery in connection with the puddling furnaces burst,
killing four men and injuring three more. So terrific bad
the explosion been that the roofs of the houses in which
the boilers were placed are entirely carried away, and de-
posited in debris for a distance of 100 yards around the
place where the accident occurred. The boiler itself is
deposited at a distance of 80 to 90 yards fromwhere it was
originally situated, the force of the explosion having
driven it ever a ditch in the centre of the valley where the
works stand. The damage done is estimated at £l,OOO.