The Sun.
London, England, 1871-01-04 00:00:00

uld, moreover, be subject to a cross fire, so that their
position could be made untenable at any moment.
The Germans are falling back on Gien, and evacuated
Bonny on Saturday.
The Moniteur has been publishing a series of articles on
the operations of the French fleet in the Baltic, in which
it is plainly stated that the co-operation of Denmark was
expected.
Most of the Paris journals brought by this balloon are
very much against the participation of any French
plenipotentiary in the London Conference : yet it appears
that M. Jules Favre will come.

An English gentleman, who has just been received by
the Emperor, says his Majesty is preparing a compared
estimate of the French and German armies, which, if
published, will, no doubt, create a sensation in military
circles, and be found a valuable source of information.
The Emperor loohs forward with confidence to his speedy
restoration by the will of the French nation, and by the
French nation only.
The railway between Chaumont and Troyes was on
Christmas Eve, for the third time, tampered with, the
rails being torn up and then put back so as to conceal the
injury. A military train of 500 men consequently went
off the line, and at the same time a band of Francs-Tireurs
sallied out from a wood expecting to capture the party.
The Landwehr men had, however, escaped injury, and
rapidly collecting their senses, gave the Francs-Tireurs a
few volleys, at which they hastily fled, leaving some killed I
and wounded behind them,

The correspondent of the Daily News at Versailles says
that at Strasburg, Nancy, and Chalons, signs of the
active reinforcement of the German armies are plentiful.
The Landwehr is "pouring into the conquered country
like a winter torrent." Every station is full of German
uniforms ; every train is crowded with invaders. The
present effort is the strongest at complete conquest Ger-
many can be expected to make.

The Cologne Gazette commends the following letter from
Metz to the consideration of those who wish to annex
really French territory :—" This afternoon (28th), in the
vicinity of the Basseille barracks, a member of the 58th
Landwehr regiment had his head split open with an axe.
The offender, the sari of the French quartermaster, and the
father of six children, is arrested, as also his father,
mother, and brother. Two other Landwehr men have met
with their death in a similar way, and the sentries are
shot at by day as well as by night almost daily. Among
us officials nobody goes out alone, and anybody living
a little distance from the town is escorted up to his dwel-
ling."

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.
Sir William Mansfield, commander of the forces in
Ireland, left Dublin on Saturday evening for London, to
confer with the Secretary of State for War relative to the
defences of the country.
A committee, of which Mr. Alderman Besley is chair-
man, has issued an appeal to the merchants, bankers, and
citizens of London, in aid of the City Volunteer Fund.
The various regiments have now been in exis-
tence for more than ten years, and during that
time have maintained a high position in the Volunteer
force of the country. The exceptionally heavy expenses
of all kinds in the City of London have pressed very
heavily on the resources of the corps, and with a view to
relieve them from these calls upon their funds, the Com-
mittee appeal to the public spirit of their fellow citizens.
The entire force of the City of London numbers about
3,500 men.
Captain Cecil B. Le Mesurier, captain instructor at the
Royal Carriage Department, Woolwich Arsenal, will
shortly be succeeded in that appointment by Captain
Richard Oldileld, at present attached to the Depot
Brigade, Royal Artillery.

Fifty additional workmen were taken on at the Royal
Laboratory on Monday. The number of hands now
employed in this department is almost as great as
during the Crimean war, while the extensive introduction
of labour saving machinery has, according to the estimate
of the executive officers, increased its productive power
30 or 40 per cent. The introduction into the service of
breech-loading rifles has rendered the old machinery for
filling Cartridges obsolete, and orders have just been
issued stating that Caffin's machines will no longer be
supplied to her Majesty's ships of war; any that
may be in store, at home or abroad, are to be returned
to Woolwich.

Regulations regarding the examination of officers who
may be candidates for admission to he Staff College in
February 1872 have been issued. There will be vacancies
for twenty officers, and the first qualification is that they
shall have had five years' service. Applications should be
sent in not later than the 15th of June next, and the exa-
mination will take place in London on the 20th of July
and following days.
The total number of recruits entering the Tipperary
Militia from Monday to Saturday last was 100. Enrol-
ment in other regiments, including that of South Mayo,
is announced.

THE COMMON LAW COURTS.—There are 70 matters
pending for the ensuing term in the Court of Common
Pleas, of which 45 special cases are already entered for
argument, and two for judgment. Rules far new trial—
eleven for argument and six for enlarged rules. There
are four registration appeals, two for argument, and two
for judgment, and two election petitions now pending for
hearing.

M EADE'S MlNons.—Lord Chancellor O'Hagan has
giveni‘ieacto,s i‘judrinoers,, which greatly
nt,yeton thepetiitniotnereisntsthte Dublin
ehmatterof
public, and the hearing of which we reported, a few days
ago, at great length. Mr. Meade, it will be recollected,
had pledged himself to his first wife, on their marriage, to
rear his female children as Roman Catholics, and this was
accordingly done as long as their mother lived, under the
care and tuition of her sister. Mr. Meade having married
again; his second wife being a Protestant like himself,
has been for some months training his two girls—under
ten years old—as Protestants. The application is on the
part of the first wife's sister to obtain their custody and
the legal right to teach them the Roman Catholic religion.
The Lord Chancellor has examined the children at his
house as to their religious impressions, having declared in
Court that this would be necessary before pronouncing his
decision. It is stated that Mr. Meade will appeal to a
higher tribunal in the event of judgment being adverse to
his authority over his children. One of the Dublin papers
speaks of this as the "Irish Mortara case."

IRON SHIPBUILDING.—IrOn shipbuilding has been
carried on at Hull with very great activity during the
year 1870. The two yards upon the banks of the Humber -I
have been fully employed during the whole of the
year, and each has on hand orders that will occupy
it far into 1871. Messrs. C. and W. Earle
have launched from their yard nine steamers, all -
of large tonnage, the least being 850 tons register,
and the largest over 3,000 tons. The vessels
built at this yard during the year represent a total
of 12,696 tons and 1,800 horse-power. Messrs. Earle also
have in their yard, in various stages of progress, seven
screw steamers, representing a total of 13,600 tons and
1,500 horse-power. Messrs. Humphrys and Pearson have
launched from their yard five steamers, each one being
over 1,200 tons register, the total tonnage being 6,781,
and the horse-power 720. In this yard the total tonnage
last year was '2,462, with 260 horse-power. Messrs. r
Humphrys and Pearson have now on the stock seven large I
steamers, with a total of about 10,000 tons. Most of the
vessels built at these yards have been for Hull owners,
and they, with others built on the Clyde and the Tees,
make an addition to the fine fleet of Hull steamers of
about 32,000 tons. There have only been three Hull
steamers lost during the year—viz., the- Plato, which
foundered with all hands in the Bay of Biscay ; the
Juno, which went ashore on the Scaw this month ; and,4
the Hull, wrecked near the Juno. The two latter vesseleol
went on shore during a fog.

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