The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-10 00:00:00

DESPERATE ATTEMPT AT MURDER.

Late on Mondaftight a most deliberate attempt to
murder was made in Bethnal-green, at the back of the
new Columbia Fish Market. For some time past a man
named Robert Jordan had been cohabiting with a woman
named Elizabeth Butler. Both were people of the lowest
class, and, though married, were separated from
their respective partners. On Monday. afternoon Jordan
found Butlek in a publichouse in the Hackney-road,drink-
ing ,with a man who she told him was her brother-in-law.
They had words together, he is believed to have struck
her, and ,he threatened her that before the night
• was but he would give he something which would
mace her remember him. He then left her, and
purchased for 2id. at an ironmongery shop in SPital-
fields a knife similar to that used by shoe-makers;
the blade, about 'six inches long, was ground down
to a sharp point, and it was doubled-edged. The same
night he found the woman at another public--
house in Bethnal-green„ and withmit speaking a
word lie struck her in the back. Blood ,fol-
lowed, and
(persons standing round exclaimed,,that
he had a knife., and had stabbed her. The
man then ran off down the street and escaped. The
woman was at once removed to ,the London Hospital,
where her condition was found to be sueh that it
was deemed necessary to take down her statement.
nn the meantime Jordan had been arrested at
a public-house hard by, where he remained drink-
ino,, until his apprehension. ,At the hospital
the prisoner was confronted with the unfortu-
nate woman, who identified him as her assailant. The
written statement agreed with the foregoing narrative.
The woman remains in a most precarious condition, and it
is the opinion of the house-surgeon that she cannot sur-
vive, as the weapon penetratedAher liver. Cin Tuesday
afternoon the prisoner was charged at Worship-street
with the attempt to murder, and the written statement
was put in as evidence. The prisoner, in reply to Mr.
Newton, said----:" She (Butler) says it was her brother-in.-
law ; lint I can prove different. It was all through jea-
Lusy." He was then remanded fora week.
..... •

NAVAL AND MILITARY INTELLIGENCE.
At the military depot in King-street, Westminster, the
non-commissioned officers are busily engaged in enlisting
men for the Army Service Corps, the 60th Rifles, and
various other regiments. Before midday yesterday 200
strong and active looking young men had been enlisted and
passed by the military surgeons at the Horse Guards. The
greater number were carpenters, tailors, saddlers, journey.
Men bakers, and shoemakers. Nearlyall these men have come
from Whitechapel and the east-end. No man was en-
listed for the Army Service Corps unless he had a trade
and was under Mt. Tin. and above Mt. Sin. in height. As
the day advanced, and it became known among the unem-
ployed of the working classes that the Government in-
tended to enlist 20,000 additional men for the army, me-
chanics and labourers came in greater numbers to the depot
than in the earlier part of the day. In the evening the
crowd outside the depot became so great that it VOA found
necessary to procure the assistance of the police in order
to regulate them. 'lie officers remarked that the-difficulty
of procuring men was now ended.

The screw frigate Ariadne, which was last employed as
a yacht for his Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, was
towed from her moorings in Portsmouth harbour and
placed alongside the dockyard jetty. It is expected she
will be immediately prepared for commission, and form
part of the squadron under Rear• Admiral R. Seymour.
There was a further entry of men at Chatham Dockyard
yesterday—fitters and labourers. Since the augmentation
commenced about 150 additional workpeople have been
taken on at this dockyard, including women (for the-
ropery), fitters, sailnialiers, smiths, and labourers,

SPIRIT OF THE PRESS,

THE EXPEAOR.

The Times comes to the conclusion that the Emperor
Napoleon should follow the Prince Imperial to Paris. He
laid, perhaps, too much stress on the ascendancy which his
presence and the prestige of his name might exercise on the
French troops. There was little he could gain by showing
himself to'his army in the infirm state of his health, and
taking with him a mere child of fourteen, unripe for the
hardships, and unoonscious of the dangers of real warfare.
The experiment was rash ff made in earnest ; it was not
dignified if merely meant for show. It was neither a
soldier like " Louis," nor,.be it said, for truth's sake, a
general like his father, that France needed at this
crisis. The Emperor acknowledges his mistake--
one may hope not too rate. When he has confided the
conduct of his army to either Chaugarnier or
Bazaiue the Emperor will d well to look upon
his own campaign as at an end. It is evident
that his. business at this moment is not to fight,
but to reign. His plade is in his Cabinet, no-
in his Council pf War. All his enemies—his worst enet
mien—are, by no means before .Metz. post of danger,
and, therefor; hts pokit of honour, is in Pans. Passions
have been let loose in the heart of his Empire during his
short absence which he himself may fail to curb, but which
he alone can hope to curb. e has ruled like one who dreaded
the deluge to come after him. Ent now the deluge has
almost overtaken him in his own time. The flood may
be too strong for him to stem, but it can be stemmed by
no other man. 'lt is inwpskible to foretell what might
be the eitect Of the Emperor's presence in Paris, but it is
fearful to contemillate the probable . results of his pro-
longed absence. The Emperor may still do
.good service
in Paris. But that he can do none in Metz is a poineon
which no man has entertained any doubt since the very
opening of the campaign.
THE PROPOSER BELGIAN TREATY.

The Sarcoma asks whether it would not have been
simpler and more dignified for Lord Granville to have
notified to the Courts of Paris and Berlin that England,
whether supported or not, intended to abide by her en-
gagements of 1839? This would have met the objection
that a collective guarantee is not legally binding
on one of the guarantors without the consent of the
rest. But, it is argued by Ministers, the promise
of France and Prussia, that each will respect the
frontier until the other violates it, leaves open the
danger that the first one who finds it convenient may
break the pledge. tt is proposed to bind them both to
England in a new and solemn manner. The Treaty of
1839 is not to be abrogated, but a special understanding
is to be agreed upon to the effecl- that in case of
France or Prussia, trespassing tn Belgian‘ soil
England is to take part with the other in defending
that country, and driving out the invader, without being
bound to take part in the general operations of the war.
This treaty, which is said to have been signed by Prussia
and virtually agreed• to. by France, is certainly the most
remarkable achievement of diplomacy that was ever
heart of. Who, exceptLeld Granville could have dreamed
of 5r cli a thing as an. igreement between three Powers,
that in case of certain contingencies, two of them
should go to war with the other? When was such a thing
known before as a treaty signed by two Powers actually
at -war ? Why, French and Prussians, as far as • their
mutual obligations are concerned, are clearly justified in
looking upon it as so much blank paper. Then, again,
though we know that Mr. Gladstone in every difficulty
has " three courses " open to him, we might' have .hit
upon thirty or three hundred before such an extraordi-
nary idea occurred to us that England, called upon to
Oefend Belgium, should pledge herself to operate only
with her paltry army on land, instead of being allowed to
annihilate her adversary- at sea. A limited war is an
absurdity. We may be at war with France and with
Rrussia, but to suppose that we can be at war with either
Power only quoad Belgium, and at peace with it in all the
rest of the world, is 0 grant an utterly ridiculous thing,
an advantage that never will be conceded to the possible
enemies of this country- in the future. This much, how-
ever, we have gained from our Government. They have
pledged themselves to defend the independence and neu-
trality of Belgium. We are now absolutely committed to
it.

The Telegraph maintains that had the Ministers of Eng-
land uttered the naked threat that she would declare war
against the first Power which should cross the Belgian
frontier, the pride of France ail Germany would have
taken fire, and might have ed in the same flame.
What, it might have been asked, was England, that
she shofld thus speak to the two greatest Powers
of the Continent in the language of dictation ? What
could herpaltry army do against the hosts of France and
Germany.. Her menacing words, in fact, would have
provoked both Powers to cross the Belgian frontier,
and would thus have precipitated the very calamity
which she seeks to prevent. There has been
no menace. To Franca and rrussia severally
the English Ministers have virtually said "We
wish to guard Belgium in accordance with our
treaty engagements; so, of course, do you. We will,
therefore, aid either of you to protect the Belgian soil."
The form of that message presents n 5 menace; it hurts
no national pride. It is the less objectionable because
it was given, not inthepubliro glare and heated atmosphere
of a legislative assembly, but in the course of quiet diplo-
matic talk. And, as a matter of fact, the invitation has
been received most favourably by. both France and
Prussia, who detect in it nothingbut goodwill and friendly
confidence.