The Sun.
London, England, 1862-05-08 00:00:00

(BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH.)

POILTSMOUTH, Thursday Morning.
The Adriatic steam transport has arrived from St. John's,
Now Brunswick, with the left wing of the 97th Regiment
—lB officers and 348 men.

SOUTHAMPTON, Thursday Morning.
Arrived—Lord Nelson, from St. Malo; Dream and Jane,
from Newport; Ellen Martin and Pursuit, from Cardiff;
Alliance, steamer, from Havre; Mary Coles, from Portma-
doe.

Sailed—Mary Lawson, for Shields.
(BY SUBMARINE eND MAGNETIC TELEGRAPH.)
GRAVESEND, Thursday Morning.
Arrived, May B—Soderham, from Gottenburg ; Sydney
Jones, from Skjkene ; Elise, from Rostock ; Peter Mogg,
from Middelhamis ; Rosalie, from Sarnsoo.
Sailed—Albion, steamer for Boulogne; St. Petersburg,
s'eames, for St. Petersburg; Gustav Wass, steamer, for
Gott enburg.

DEAL, Thursday Morning.
Passed--Racer, of Dartmouth, from Dartmouth; Eva
Elizabeth, steamer, from the West; Malabar, from Woo-
sung ; Heiress, from New York—all for London.

DEPARTURE OF THE GREAT EASTERN.—IVIIL-
FORD HAVEN, WEDNESDAY.—The Great Eastern sailed
at 2 40, with 138 passengers and scme cargo. She did not
use her paddles, but screw only. She missed last night's
tide owing to the fouling of a hauser.
THE MINT.—The bronze coinage is proceeding
satisfactorily both at the contractors' (Watt and Co.) mint
at Birmingham, and the Royal establishment at Tower-
hill. Fully two years, however, must elapse before all the
old copper coin disappears from the channels of circulation,
and is completely supplanted by bronze monk.--Mechanics
Magazine.
INNS OF COURT RIFLES.—The benchers of the
Inner Temple have presented a challenge cup to this corps
the annual
for competition. It will be shot for by bona fide members
eou rcaoeuorfs et
aorfge
t positionp r a c.
Id only,rcei e 1 alawnni
Inn
the
orht hhet eha vte p
hec g
i ro dr osela through :f
evento
of
wleiallvteabke einpgarotbitn a
aingedranfrdombritghaedleordof
field-
day on Epsom-downs on the 17th inst., under the command
of Col. N 1 'Mtn,
C. 8., Inspector-General of Volunteers.
THE CLYDE PORTS.--In the midst of the general
commercial depression it is satisfactory to find that the busi-
nessannual of the Clyde ports is fully maintained. Thus in the
month which has just cloaed the Customs' revenue at Glas-
gow amounted to £79 988, against £75,277 in April, 1861,
and £68,658 in April, 1860. At Greenock, too, the Cus-
toms' revenue exhibits a continuous advance, the receipts
during the past month having been £88,019, as compared
with £79,491 in April. 1851, and £68,753 in April, 1860.
On I 0 ,
oaturuay last a match between ten officers
of the 2d Essex (Colonel Cappers) and the same number of
the 3d Essex (Colonel Davis) Battalion of Rifles took place
at the Cranbrook• park Range of the Ilford corps, and re-
sulted in the victory of the former by 34 marks. The com-
petitors ftom the 2d battalion were INlajor Birt ; Captains
Crouch, Strange, Banes, Corby, and Davis ; Lieutenants
Nixon and Howlet., ; Ensigns Noble and Barwick. From
the 3d battalion Major Russell; Captains Cotesworth and
Harvey; Lieutenants Wilson, Burgess, and Myer; Assist-
ant-Surgeon Dawson ; Ensigns Knapping, Chaplin, and.
Fane. The ranges were 300 and 600 yards, seven shots at
each, The scores were 178 and 144 respectively, the wirlit' etrhse
being in a majority of 18 at the 300 yards, and of 16
600 yards range. Points and hits were both count_. s
The
ur
es tad.
weather was unfavourable, the wind being Irongfenrad
THE RAILROAD TAX.—A deputat.sonu
Committee
rse, lsyo
oaonsf
entirely
niintnis instead of
presidents is here to appeal to the Flom,'
the Senate to modify the tax on rafoirlrmo,adarloemocrPtpetrats
to be equally distributed over the entire
being assessed, as in the present form,
the income from
the receipts from passengers,
of the burden—Wash-
freight to bear but a smallA1:0
ra:na scarcity oa
and
d smallo
lir warbird s
delphict Inquirer.
of
PPOISONED WHEAT. In our
ington correspondent
OUR BIRDS AND
with which
against them
still there ismuch
is less inveterate; but to &Ilion in every
neighbourhood. Our rustics shoot owls and bats
peoeursnetcruytitohnerheasisaniltetthede
rural
and then complain of mice, moths, and night insects—
rats in the stack, and dormice in the woods. They
crave credi for the sCOrtS Of sparrows, wagtails, yellow-
hammers, and wrens that they destroy, and then are
ready to cry over the ravages of worms, weevils, cock•
roaches, caterpillars, and other plagues. Of late
we h N7e heard a good deal of the spreading practice of de-
stro) jog so-called "vermin"
(not the insects but the birds)
by poisoned wheat. I wish such deices could often meet
with the punishment which I remember seeing candidly
narrated in a paper some years ago. The writer of the con-
fegsion wanted to save a row of peas from the sparrows.
lie was struck with remorse when he saw a bird or two
staggering on the top of the wall, as if drunk, and falling
off ; but scarcely any died, and the peas were not v d
t); la of great
while the staggering birds on the wall pushed the poisonedsae
grain off among an establishment of pet f
value—every one of which died,—Once a irre