The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-01 00:00:00

THREE PERSONS BURNT TO DEATH.

A fearful disaster has happened in the Island of Clare.
Some of the islanders, having picked up a cask of oil at
sea, met at a house at Cape Clear, a few nights ago, +o
divide the spoil. By some unexplained means, the oit
ignited and set the house on fire. Three persons, inolud
ing a child lying in a cradle, were burnt to death, and the
house was completely destroyed. Of the eighteen persons
in the building at the time of the accident, only three
escaped uninjured.

A POSTMAN CHARGED WITH STEALING
_REGISTERED LETTERS.

On Friday, at bow-street, William Jessop, a letter
carrier, recently employed at the Post Office, Tunbridge,
liras charged with stealing a registered letter containing a
cheque for 1:2.00 on the Lcndon and County Bank, and r.
bill of exchange for £3.59. There • were other charges
against the prisoner. It appeared that Dr.
Topwith, of Tunbiidoe, sent the letter and
cheque in question male lay able to order, and the
bill of exchange to Dr. 'Wheeler in Dublin. They never
reached him, and the endorsement on the cheque produced
WAS not in his handwziting. It was proved by Jonathan
Carey, clerk to the Tunbridge post-office,that the prisoner
was formerly employed there, but resigned in consequence
of certain investigations having been made into his charac-
ter. The prisoner was in the shop when witness regis
tered the letter. The evidence went to establish the printet
fade charge, and the prisoner was fully committed for
trial.

THE MARQUIS OF WESTMINSTER'SWILL

Probate of the will ( f the Marquis of Westminster has
been granted to his seact, the Dowager Marchioness of
Westminster, and his sons-in-law, the Earl of Macclesfield,
and Sir M. R. S. Stewart, Bart., the joint acting executors.
The trustees appointed arc his sons-in-law, Lord Wenlock
and Lord Leigh. The personalty was sworn under
£300,000. He bequeaths to his daughter, Lady Theodora,
on the decease of his relict, certain estates in Motcombe;
and to his son-in-law, S:r M. R. S. Stewart, estates In
Wiltshire. His estates in Doi setshire he leaves to his son
Lord Richard de Aquila Grosvenor, subject to the Mar-
chioness's life interest therein and a provision for his
daughter, Lady Theodora, to whom he has made an
appointment in her favour frcm a sum of 550,000
under the will cf the first Marquis. He devises to
his eldest son, now Marquis of Westminster, his estates
in the county palatine of Chester and the principality
Of Wales ; and leaves him all MMS. He also leaves to his
eldest son all the parliamentary books and papers at Gros-
venor House, and all the furniture at lialkyn Castle,
Flintshire; his thoroughbred stud, Garter robes, and par-
liamentary robes and coronet. There are certain jewels
left to his wife for her life. His lordship has made be-
quests by way of remembrance to each of his daughters,
the Duchess of Northumberland, the Countess of Maccles-
field, Lady Wenlock, Lady Leigh, Lady Octavia, and Lady
Theodora.

SUDDEN DEATH OF A NAVAL SURGEON
IN A HOUSE OF ILL FAME.

The Plymouth coroner has been investigating the case
of a naval surgeon, Mr. A. Southby Crowdy, of her
Majesty's ship Indus, who died suddenly in a house of ill
fame at Plymouth the other day. Eliza Kinney, an
unmarried woman, living at No. 6, Suenmerland-
place, Plymouth, said the &ceased, whom she knew
well, came to the house on Monday evening, about
seven o'cicck. He remained about an hour, and then
went out to meet a fel(n l whom he expected would
come out of the Theatre. About a quarter before ten
o'clock he returned in a cab alone, and brought her 'a bottle
of champagne. The deceased was quite sober, but he looked
ill, and on her asking if he were unwell he replied in the
affirmative, and said that he had been faint at Harvey's
Hotel. He laid down on the sofa, and she had a fire
lighted. Soon after he said that if he went to bed he
thought he would be better, and he walked upstairs. She
ate her supper, and went up about half an hoer after. She
put some scent on his 1 ockethandkerchief, and bathed
his face with cold watt r, and he told her ho was much
better. She went to Led about eleven o'clock, and the
deceased laid upon her urn). Abcut,a quarter of au bout
afterwards she spoke to him several times, but he did not
answer her, although he nude an effort to do so, and
turning his head ho went off in a fit. The deceased had
told her previously that he had been subject to fits, and
that if he were seized with one sho was not to be
alarmed. Afterwards he partially- recovered, and said,
"Don't be frightened, I shall be better in a few minutes."
She sent for several doctors, but they were , out. At
last Dr. Prance an iv ed. The deceased never properly
recovered, and died about a quarter past three o'clock.—ln
reply to a question the mitre ss Laid about two months ago
deceased had a fit on the sofa, but recovered in about ton
nsmutes.—Dr. Prance ..rlained thf,t Lo ima nul the
ightest doubt that the dcceasel died a natural death, but
considering the house in wl the event took place and
the circumstances of the case, he thought it best that the
matter should be inves- igated and the facts made public.
The jury, agreeing with the doctor, returned a verdict of
"Death from natural causes."

Sir George Bowyer questions the current deriva-
tion and meaning of the:words Grail and Holy Grail. "The
true interpretation of the word Sangreal in the original
legend is not Holy Grail, but sang real, that is to say,
real blood, meaning the Real Blood in the Sacrament of the
*liar."

A telegram from Cork says that on Thursday night,
•t 7 o'clock, as two sub-constables, named respectively John
Doyle and Thomas M'Conaby, were standing in abutcher's
%hop, in Askeaton, county Limerick, they were fired at
from without. Both men were wounded—Doyle mortally.
No arrests have yet been made.

It is said that the "special correspondent" of the
Times in Rome is a certain Anglican clergyman, who some
twenty odd years ago became a Catholic, and three or four
years later returned to the Established Church. When we
mention the old story that this gentleman became a Catho-
lic to spite his first wife, and turned a Protestant to annoy
his second, most English Catholics will know to whom we
allude.— Weekly Register.

THE VINE IN FRANCE.—The following is from the
last weekly bulletin (26th inst.) of the Sci entifie Association of
France :—" The vine occupies in France almost 2,500,000
hectates (6,175,000 acres). This ecnstitutes the one-and-
twentieth part of the French territory, and the sixteenth
part of its soil capable of cultivation. The gross
produce amounts to more than 1,500,000,000 francs. This
industry occupies six million men, women, and children,
and nearly two million merchants, agents, traders, &c.
Sixty-nine departments cultivate the vine, from the Gironde,
which reckons more than 150,000 hectares (370,000 acres),
to the department of Ille-et-Vilaine, which only possesses
' 104 hectares (256 acres)."

NEW TRADES OF THE YEAR.—No less than fifty-
three new trades have been added to Messrs. Kelly's
" Trades" Directory, including " Balancemakers " (Assay,
Bullion, and Chemical), " Composition manufacturers for
the Preservation of Stone from Decay," " Concrete
Moulding Machine Makers," " Kamptulicon Carpet
Manufacturers," " Moulders' Blacking Manufacturers,"
" Phototype Engravers," " Pinoleuni Manufacturers,"
" Quilting Vest Manufacturers," "Rolled Girder and Iron
Joist Manfacturers," " Rope Machine Makers," " Sausage
Skindealers," " Seron Dealers," " Stay Fastening Makers,"
" Turnstile Manufacturers," and " Wire Rope Machine
Makers."

It is stated that since Christmas, 18GO, when the
thermometer went to zero, the cold has not been so intense
in North and East Yorkshire as on Tuesday night, when the
lowest reading, about 9 p.m., was 9 deg. This continued
till 4.30 on Wednesday morning, when a thunderstorm oc-
curred, the flashes of lightning in the north being very vivid,
making the third storm in ten days. Alinost immediately
the temperature ran up to 34 deg., and has continued there.
The reports from the moors say that many sheep have
perished.

The fate of the French Government vessel Gor-
gone, with her crow of more than one hundred hands,
seems 1., to be decided beyond a doubt. From Brest we
learn that the log-bock of 'the Gorgone has been cast on
sore, enclosed in a bot 10. It ends as follows :—" We Lave
a:ruggled on to the end. Impossible to save the ship;
there is a large 1, ak. I put my trust in God." Other
d •spatehes state that the sea is casting up numerous
c ,rpses. Lieutenant Dubose escaped death through an
order of the Minister of Marine enjoining him to remain at
Brest. lie is the only °Meer that survives.

The schooner Hermes, of Aberdeen, Beedie, mas-
ter, was totally lost on Annat Bank, Montrose, yesterday
afternoon. The crew, six in number, were drowned. Tho
scene, the telegram says, was heartrending. The lifeboats
were out, and the iozket apparatus used, but untuccess•
Sully.

Nature states that a large depot of petroleum, has
just been tliscovered in the Caucasus. It is situated on
the east of the Caspian, where there are largo uumbers•of
these springs, many of them occurring in close proximity.
This new spring is said to be capable of producing
40,000 livrcs daily. The American method hail recently
hem adopted with the greatest success.