The Sun.
London, England, 1862-01-31 00:00:00

at the royal palace, to celebrate the fete of the Prince
N E
. of tho 11:; ..14.1basfAdor of France sat at
the King's right. Don Modesto Certazar, formerly
Minister of Justice, expired in the night of the
25th. Those journals announce that, according to
intelligence from Vera Cruz, the Spanish troops
were exceedingly in favour with the inhabitants,
who received them with cheers whenever they
marched out for exercise.

TURIN, JAN. 31.

THE FRENCH N.4r/Y.

The Minister of Marine, in his report contained
n the French-book, thus speaks of the state and

prospects of naval affairs t

" The work of transformation of the naval ma-
teriel continues to progress at the rate provided for
by credits regularly alloted every year for the pur-
pose, according to the plan adopted in 1857. As
was made known last year, a greater number of
our building slips, up to the end of 1860, were un-
occupied than had been the case for a long time
past. The Government was awaiting the results
of the trial of the first iron cased frigate which was
ever built, and the bold initiative' of which belongs
to France.

" After the success which has been obtained, to
doubt was no longer permitted ; the art of ship-
building has made an immense stride ; it was our
duty, therefore, to resume the course of those
labours which can alone keep up the naval power
of the empire to the level it must preserve if we
would not see it decline.

"We have done so alike without precipitation
and without hesitation; the gaol fixed beforehand
in 1857, and which it was then proposed to attain
in 14 years, we are approaching with firm and
steady strides, as befits a great country whose
loyalty stands too high, and whose independence
and might are too unquestionable to permit of any
indecorous hurry or slackness in the fulfilment of
its most lc gitimate designs. At the present day the
number of our men-of-war is 101, as appears from
the following tabular statement :

New Old sailing ships
ships. transformed into Totals.
auxiliary screws.
Line-of-battle ships .... 12
Iron-plated frigates .... 2
Ordinary frigates .. 15
Corvettes 7 7
Avisos (i.e., gun-boats) .. 36 - 36

72 29 101
Which would show for the year an increase of 13
new ships ; but, on the ether hand, five ships have
been lost at sea, and 11 have been ordered to be
broken up as too old and unfit for service. Lastly,
we have afloat and in course of completion one line-
of-battle ship, four iron-cased frigates, three ordi-
nary frigates, six gunboats, and two floating bat-
teries.

" The inscription maritime on the Ist July last
numbered 170,496 seamen, viz.:—

On board men-of-war

Shipped for long voyages on board merchantmen 31,047
Engaged in the coasting trade
Engaged in the coast fisheries
In private dockyards
In their quarters

170,496

" The experiments for the improvements of naval
artillery are being carefully carried on. Satisfac-
tory results have been obtained, and we have reason
to believe that in the construction of our materiel
we shall have realised improvements at least equal
to those of other nations.

" Lastly, 135 electric signal posits, connecting
every point of the seaboard of the empire with each
other, will be at an early period provided with their
apparatus, and will thus soon be able to render all
those,services which the defence of our coast and
humanity may require."

THE OUT-I)OO.R RELIEF SYSTEM 1N

IRELAND.

"It has become desirable that testimony to the
necessity for extended out door relief' should be
borne by the country, in some fashion, be-
fore the assembly of Parliament, in order that
the representations of the Roman Catholic
hierarchy on that subject may have a public
endorsement, tending to back them up when con-
troverted by Chief Secretary Sir Robert Peel.
Hence the feelers which have been insiduously at
work since the opening of the new year. With no
profit to the Cullenite cause had the pulse of Newry
been tested. The attempt to get up a public meet-
ing here, ostensibly to consider about affording
relief to the poor at the present season,' proved
utterly abortive. The trap having been detected
was quietly avoided, and a spirit of genuine bene-
volence had its development in a movement some-
what more practically philanthropic than would
have been a demonstration countenancing the policy
of the Roman Catholic hierarchy. Town meeting
there was none, but the end has been accomplished
nevertheless. Saturday's meeting of the Newry'
Board of Guardians has amply compensated for
shortcoming on the side of the town ; and Arch-
bishops Cullen and M'Hale have to thank the mem -
ber for a timely voucher, by the deliberate vote of
the Newry Board of Guardians, certifying the
authenticity of the views presented to her Majesty's
Government ex cathedra 011 the subject of the ne-
cessity of extending out.door relief' in Ireland !
Boards of Guardians voting as the Newry Board of
Guardians has voted for the extension of the out-
door relief system among the population of Ireland,
are unadvisedly breaking ground which, wisely
humane, they should rather preserve intact. The
manful spirit of independence once overborne, where
'shall dependence find its limit ?"

" The supply of timber by means of contracts
taken without any intermediate agents by the Ad-
ministration of Woods and Forests is proceeding
satisfactorily, as well as the supply of our harbours
with French coal, which, henceforth secure, will be
very soon further facilitated by the completion of
the railways in Brittany, and enable us to dispense
with foreign supplies.
" The hydraulic works indispensable to meat the
growing requirements of the fleet are being carried
on with all the activity that the sums allowed for
the purpose will admit. Six dry docks were com-
pleted in 1861 at Cherbourg, l'Orient, and Roch-
fort, others have been commenced at Brest and
Toulon. The submarine foundation of Fort Cha- •
vagnac is progressing at the entrance of Cherbourg
roadstead ; the foundation of sea forts at Castigneau
close to Toulon, is being laid ; the quays of that
harbour are now completed ; the Vauban dock has
been deepened, and a new one, that of Missiessy,
has been commenced.

The Newry Board of Guardians have been in-
fluenced strangely enough on the motion of the
Conservative M.P. for the borough,
.Mr. Peter
Quinn—to sanction an extended out-door relief
system by a formal resolution. Thus have they
done all that is in their power to further the designs
of Dr. Cullen and the Roman Catholic prelates,
and to deprive the report of the late patient and
capable Parliamentary Committee of its value. They
are taken to task for this profound mistake by the
local journal, the Newry Telegraph, in an argumen-
tative and effective article. Every well-instructed
journalist in Ireland is opposed to an extended out-
door relief scheme as demoralising and unnecessary.
The Ultramontane party clamour for it from reasons
having no connection whatever with the temporal
well-being of the poor. They imagine that the
power of the spiritual functionary would be in-
creased by it ; and that, along with the other modi-
fications which they claim, the principle when
adopted would enable them to control the landed
proprietary and larger occupiers, and divide with
them more than at present all local influence. The
Newry paper says, very justly :
"In contempt of the teachings of experience,
holding out a solemn warning against a measure
fraught with serious social danger, the Newry
Board of Guardians has seen fit to ' open the door'
which, it will soon be found, there exists anything
but backwardness to make available, per jas aut
nefas, on the side of a peasantry characteristically
too prone practically to appreciate the sentiment of
the refrain-
-4" Tie the greatest divarsion under the sun
To sit by the fire till the praties is done I"