The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-22 00:00:00

THE ENGLISH WAR MINISTER.

The Spectator considers that the substitution of a War
Minister who has been accustomed to the successful
organisation of armies for Mr. Cardwell would immea-
surably strengthen the present Government. The public
owes the War Minister a debt for bringing the army
finally under the control of Parliament, but it is quite
clear that neither the public nor the army put full
confidence in his power to check the accuracy of
official details. Whatever his abilities he his a real
genius for circumlocution, word-fencing and red tape, but
it would be infinitely better in these times to have a man
at the head of the War Office in whose past achievements
both the public and the army would see guarantees for the
highest efficiency. Mr. Cardwell, it is said, is to be the
next speaker. If so, his replacement by a man like
Lord Lawrence, 'who proved so efficient in organising the
armies of India, or like Lord Napier, who has shewn
himeslf to be a brilliant administrator, would add
marvellous strength to the Cabinet. With the
Militia unofficered, the Volunteers unarmed, with
two-thirds of the . Sniders in store confessed
to be in Canada, with an uncomfortable feeling in the
artillery, and a ministry supposed to have an almost
morbid bias towards peace, the country would be much
better pleased if it had an efficient War Minister.

We have to contradict the statement that Colonel
Fraser is a candidate for the chairmanship of the Metro-
politan Board of Works. Sir William Fraser, late M.P.
for Ludlow, is the candidate.

It is understood that the President of the Poor-
law Board has nominated Sir J. P. Kay-Shuttleworth to
be a manager of the West London School districts, and
that that gentleman has accepted the appointment.

We have reason to believe that whatever may
have been Prince Achille Murat's recent movements, we
were in error in stating that he had an interview with
Lord Granville.—Pall Mall Gazette.

London is just now favoured with the presence of
the President of Liberia. He has come to England, it is
stated, with the object. of_ extending the commercial rela-
tions between this country and that part of the West
Coast of Africa with which he is connected.—City Press.

The Orchestra states that Mr. Chorley will shortly
publish a biography of Rossini. Three Paris theatres,
the Vaudeville, Palais Royal, and Varikes, have been
obliged to close their doors from the want of firemem,
employed elsewhere in the place of the regular troops.
The Musical Standa.'d says that Carlotta Patti
has arrived with the other members of her troupe at Rio
Janeiro, where the aristocracy are according to them a
most cordial reception. The mise-en-scene of Wagner's
" Valkyrie " at Munich cost a sum of 100,000 florins.
Mr. Edwin Andrew, solicitor, of Liverpool, has
been appointed Town Clerk of the borough of Salford,
near Manchester, in succession to Mr. George Brett, who
has resigned. Mr. Andrew was certificated as a solicitor
in Trinity Term 1864, and has for some years been an
assistant in the office of the Town Clerk of Liverpool.
NOT SPOILING FOIL A FlGHT.—General Lee
denies having tendered his services to Louis Napoleon
during the French-Prussian war. He says he has sheathed
his sword for ever. This is just what was to be expected
of a sensible man like General Lee. No series of cam-
paigns in Europe could add to his military renown ; the
cause of either France or Prussia has little to commend it
to Americans, North or South, and, pecuniarily, the
General would be called upon to make great sacrifices
were be to accept a command in the French army.—New
York Herald.

THE COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.—Mr. William
Fisher Miller, who was called to the bar by the Honour-
able Society of Lincoln's Inn on the 29th of Janu-
ary, 1850, and ,since 1843 acted as Registrar of the
Court of Bankruptcy, and for several years past has
discharged the duties of Chief Registrar, has re-
tired after twenty-seven years' public service on his
full retiring allowance of £2,000 per annum. The
vacancy has been filled up by the appointment of Mr.
William Hazlitt, the Senior Registrar of the Court, who,
it will be remembered, officiated for the late Mr. Commis-
sioner G-oulburn during his protracted illness. The income
Commis-
of Mr. Hazlitt will, it is stated, remain as heretofore,
£1,500 per annum.
THE ALDERSHOT SUMMER SEASON.—With the
departure of the 2nd Life Guards, 2nd battalion Grenadier
Guards, and 46th Regiment from Aldershot on Tuesd-
day next, the summer season may be said to
close, and within the next few weeks those
regimentsbe which have been longest at the camp
wimoved to other stations, so as to allow of
barrack accommodation being provided for the corps
which are at present under canvas on Cove-common and
Rushmoor-bottom. Amongst those which may look for
'an early removal are the 6th Dragoons, 2nd battalion and
depot companies Ist battalion 13th Light Infantry, the
4th battalion and depot companies 3rd battalion Rifle
Brigade (under orders for Gosport), the 2nd battalion Rifle
Brigade, the 4th battalion and depot companies
Ist, 2nd, and 3rd battalions 60th Rifles ; and
later in the autumn the 67th Regiment and
depot companies 38th Regiment ; leaving the 3rd
Dragoon Guards, 9th Lancers, 12th Lancers, Ist battalion
4th King's, 2nd battalion 9th Regiment, 2nd battalion
17th Regiment, 33rd Regiment, 42nd Highlanders, 91st
Highlanders, 94th Regiment, and 101st Fusiliers, and
the depots of the sth Lancers, 16th Lancers,
Ist battalion Ist Royals, 2nd battalion 10th
Regiment, Ist battalion 17th Regiment, 45th Regi-
ment, 53rd Regiment, 74th Highlanders, 79th High-
landers, and 104th Fusiliers, to garrison the Camp for
the winter or part of the winter. But to this force it is
not improbable that at least one regiment will be added,
the selection, doubtless, being made from the 2nd bat-
talion 22nd, at Sheffield, the 2nd battalion 4th King's, at
Chester, and the 100th Regiment, at Manchester. After
the departure of the 67th, the first regiment for relief will
be the 42nd Highlanders, but we should hardly think it
probable that it will be moved for a few months.---Army
and Navy Gazette.
BILLINGSGATE IN MARK-LANE.—At the Mansion House,
before the Lord Mayor, Mr. Mould, tea broker, carrying
on business in partnership with his father in Fenchurch-
street, was summoned for assaulting Mr. Slight, market-
man for a similar firm in Mincing-lane, in
Mark-lane, on the 11th instant, under the follow-
ing circumstances :—The defendant was desirous of
purchasing fifty half-chests of tea, which, however, the
complainant said he had sold to another person—a state-
ment which the former expressed his disbelief in, alleging
he had been informed that only a portion of the tea had
been purchased. The complainant reiterated his
statement, adding that " somebody must be a
liar." They then proceeded to a gentleman
named Sace, who confirmed the complainant's story,
whereupon the defendant became excited, and saying
that the complainant had called him a liar just now,
struck him a blow under the ear. Complainant repeated
more emphatically than before that the defendant was a
liar ; and the latter, thinking probably that the example
was a salutary one to follow, did so by striking the com-
plainant much more severely than before—a proceeding
which caused his immediate ejectment from Mr. Sace's
establishment. The defendant now alleged in extenuation
that he was excited by the complainant calling hints liar
twice. The Lord Mayor: That is no justification
for a big, fellow like you, striking a little
fellow like that. Defendant : I merely boxed
his ears as I would a little girl's. (Laughter.) The Lord
Mayor : By which you made yourself liable to several
weeks' imprisonment. You took advantage of your
great size over the complainant to bully him and box his
ears : that is just the thing one would expect in Billings-
gate, but not among gentlemen in Mark Lane. You are
fined 40s. and costs, and, in conjunction with the com-
plainant, bound over to keep the peace for the space for
six months.