The Sun.
London, England, 1871-02-10 00:00:00

volunteers, at a signal from their commanding officer,

" presented arms," and were—vaccinated !
We are at present receiving something from Ireland for
which we ought to be grateful, and which we are most
of us yet in ignorance of. I refer to the new trade being
carried on in Irish eggs. The war, happily for English-
men, has stopped the importation of French eggs, of which
we used immense quantities. Indeed, eggs furnished to
the markets before last Christmas nearly all came
from Greece and France. On Christmas Day,
1870, be it said in justice to Ireland, about
fifty per cent. of English plum puddings were flavoured
by means of Irish eggs, and we in London find that the
rapidity of the arrival of such commodities, enabling us
to have eggs within ten days of their being laid, as a
matter of course oonsiderably enhances their value to us,
and renders it imperative that we should deal with Ireland
ae long as the supply lade. Ice. this, 5 not for other
reasons, Peru in time we map see the benefit of stack-
lug the Lyndonand Liverpool markets with Irish salmon
fresh-caught instead of getting the fish, as we do, packed
in ice, all the way from Norway.
The preparations for the annual sluing campaign on the
14th are assuming a very forward aspect. The great
emporiums of valentines, from sixpence to five guineas in
price, chew no diminution in glory. There are some
novelties. Religious valentines have made their appear-
ance, and have been very deservedly cut up in the news-
papers. The post card has been utilised in the valentine
line ;so has the P. 0. telegram. But nothing is to be
seen of those useful articles, which were recommended
last year as a substitute for the conglomerations of satin,
scent, and verses, so long in vogue.
Further signs are noticeable of the slow recovery of the
London stage from its lengthy period of demoralisation.
Some of the most thrilling scenes in " Deadman'e Point," a
sensation drama just produced at the Adelphi, provoked
laughter on the first night. The play abounds with situ-
ations of the most approved order ; but audiences are
accustomed to the mechanism by which these effects are
worked. Never again in all probability will
the excitement of the ducking scene in the
" Colleen Bawn" be repeated. But what we
shall do when audiences are utterly weary of these tre-
mendous catastrophes and leggy burlesques it is impos-
sible to say. The new race of dramatic authors has not
yet given its first born to the world.
The weather here has been more than usually change-
able : rain has followed frost, cloudless skies with a
very high temperature have dried up the floods, and these
three conditions have interchanged incessantly. The
French colony do not like it. You meet them daily,
muffled up to the eyes, and in a state of perenniel ant vle.
Our bad climate has been at its worst lately, and has
worked destructive effects amongst these visitors. The
devastation has in some degree extended to Chislehurst,
where neither the Empress nor the Prince Imperial is so
well as in France. Indeed, it is said that a long residence
in England would probably settle all trouble about the
Bonapartist dynasty. The young prince, who is a deli-
cate boy, will most likely go abroad soon.
For the last few days, however, we have had nothing to
complain of. It may be worth remembering that when Parlia-
ment was holding its first sittings last year the river Thames
was full of ice. Nothing of the kind is to be seen to day.
The birds are returning to the parks where also the tiniest
of buds have begun to appear. The fields about Rich-
mond, Twickenham, and Hammersmith look gloriously
green. Milkmen have again dared to appear in the
thoroughfares in white blouses. I have not yet seen any
footmen or coachmen in scarlet or blue knee breeches, but
I look for such a spectacle immediately.

SIX LIBEL SUITS AGAINST A NEWSPAPER.
At the Common Law Court held at Douglas, Isle of
Man, on Tuesday, the first of a series of six suits for libel
against the printer and publisher of the lifanx San news-
paper was heard. The plaintiffs in the case are six
special jurors, before whom an action for libel against the
Bishop of Soder and Man was tried about twelve months
ago, and who amerced his lordship in £4OO damages and
costs. The alleged libel was contained in a letter and lead-
ing article commenting upon the case. In the letter
the jury were ironically styled as a respectable,
honest, impartial Manx jury, and the verdict
was described as simply monstrous and incredible,
and the jurors as dormant beings who had ast3nished the
island and shocked justice. Damages were laid at £5OO
in each suit. The first case called was that of Mr. Wade.
Messrs. Adams, Sherwood, and Dumbell were for
plaintiff, and the Attorney-General and Mr. Callow
for the defence. An apology, which had appeared
in o subsecfkient issue of the paper, was read.
Mr. Corlett, • one of the 'jurors, proved that there
hat) been negotiations with to view to an amicable
settlement, but the only term& upon which the jurors
would consent to arrange matters were an apology from
the writer of the leading article, signed with his own name,
expressing regret for the strictures passed on the jury,
this apology to be published twice in the paper, but to
these terms Mr. Curphey would not consent. The court
adjourned till Wednesday the 15th instant.