The Sun.
London, England, 1846-05-04 00:00:00

on business, and only furnishes another proof of the caution
and prudence which distinguish our brethren of the north.

We publish in our columns to-day a correspondence be-
tween Mr. HUME and a committee of the Bible Society.
The substance of the correspondence is, that Mr. HUME,
who is about to renew his labours for abolishing the QWEEN'S
printer's monopoly in printing Bibles, claims the support of
the Bible Society in his exertions, and this committee, re-
presenting the often-expressed feeling of the parent society,
refuses to help in the work.

Most of oar readers perhaps know, but it will do no harm
to repeat, that by vii tue of a royal patent, of very question-
able legality, the QUEEN'S printer claims the sole right (the
two Universities only excepted) of supplying Bibles in Eng-
land, and that without limitation as to price. For fifteen
years Mr. MIKE and some other parties have been labour-
ing, in Parliamentary Committees and by public agitation, to
accomplish the removal of se enormous an abuse. Indi-
rectly, by preventing the renewal of a similar patent in Scot-
land, by throwing the trade open in that country, and thus
causing an abundant importation of Bibles into England,
which the QUEEN'S printer has not ventured to check, the
price of Bibles has been reduced in seme cases 30, in some
50, and in some even 60 per cent.
Of course the Bible-. Society, the grand instrument for dif-
fusing the Word of GOD to the heathen, the poor, and the
ignorant—the almoner of good men's money—has afforded
prime aid in carrying on this great work, by which its means
of accomplishing its own purpose have been more than
doubled: doubtless this Society has at least urged on the
public mind the vast benefit of sending two thousand Bibles
where they had previously the means for only one—they
must have acted on the principle of honesty in seeking to
make the funds devoted to so holy an object available to the
utmost extent.

So plain men would reason, and so, we are almost con-
strained to say, upright men would judge. But of all this
the reverse is true, and in the Bible Society, its public com-
mittees, its private machinery, and its circulating agencies,
have been found the most influential props of the Bible
monopoly, and the hardest working opponents to every plan
for its abolition.

We do not waste time in considering the plea alleged by
the committee in their present letters, especially as Mr.
HUME'S reply disposes of the whole, but we are driven back
upon another consideration—we are constrained to think of
the channels into which many of these long-established bene-
volent institutions are running. It has long been forced upon
our conviction by the annual proceedings which are just now
commencing in town, that their legitimate objects are
grievously lost sight of—that they are getting to be erected
into huge business corporations—that there is a continual
approximation to a maximum of money and a minimum of
result—that, instead of a great good sought to be accom-
plished by means of large co-operation, the objects are re-
versed, and we have the name of a good thing retained as a
means to a gigantic subscription list.

We think the Christian public, and the world of benevo-
lence in our country, would do well to ponder this thought,
which has to our own minds been forcibly presented by this
latest production of the Bible Society.

The Lucerne Gazette reports that on Sunday week General
SONNENBERG was fired at as he was returning from Ettis-
well, where he had been attending mass, to his chateau of
Kastalen. The person who fired the shot was concealed
from his view, but it is said that immediately afterwards he
saw two young men run off, and take refuge in a neighbour.
ing forest, and who are naturally suspected to be the guilty
parties. The police of Lucerne have offered a reward of
300 f. to any one giving only a slight indication of the of-
fender, and 600 f. for more positive information.

The Augsburgh Gazette states that, during the late insur-
rection in Poland several Polish families took refuge in
Russiy, where they were kindly received, and furnished with
the means of subsistence until the restoration of tranquillity
should enable them to return to their homes.

It would appear from the statements in the German papers,
that the tranquillity of Austrian Galicia has been completely
restored. On the EMPEROR'S birthday an Imperial decree
was issued, abolishing the oppressive feudal claims, such as
forced labour, &c., which had hitherto grievously pressed on
the peasantry, by whom these concessions had been most
gratefully received.

The Levant mail brings ads ices from Alexandria of the
20th, Greece of the 12th, Constantinople of the 18th, and
Malta of the 24th ult. RIZA PACHA, who, since his dis-
missal from the Ministry, had been confined to his own house
by order of the SULTAN, has been completely restored to
liberty. Constantinople was quite tranquil, and Syria seemed
to be completely pacified. There is no news of importance
from Egypt or Greece.

Madrid papets of the 26th have been received. General
OMB; who had been appointed Commandant of the pro-
vince of Teruel, had refused to go to his post, and had been
in consequence ordered by the Minister of War to leave Madrid
in twenty. four hours and proceed to the Canary Islands, there to
await the orders of the Government. A loan of 200,000,000
reels for the construction of railways has been contracted
by the Government under very favourable conditions. M.
RIVAS has been declared the contractor for the loan; there
were eight other capitalists who delivered tenders. Among
them Senor SALAMANCA.

By the Southampton packet we are in possession of later
intelligence from Galicia than is to be found in these jour-
nals. The packet left Corunna on the 24th, and brings the
following intelligence :

" Gene;al Conditl., in a report to the Captain-General of Galicia,
writes from Santiago, dated the 23d, that after a desperate combat
at Cacheira, and after his having entered the town of St. Yago, not-
withstanding the vigorous defence of the rebels, commanded by Solis,
they had been forced to surrender at discretion. The number of
prisoners amounts to 1,400, composed of the battalions of Zamora,
Gijon, and Segovia, 70 men of the civic guard, different detachments
of the regiments of Gijon and Oviedo, and 23 men of the cavalry
regiment of Villaviciosa. The number of officers made prisoners is
54, including their Commander, Solis. The troops of the Queen dis-
played great bravery, particularly in the taking of the town, which
was attended with a loss of 100 killed and wounded. This morning
the prisoners were sent forward to Corunna under the escort of four
companies of the regiment of 31ondenodo and a squadron of cavalry."

Since then intelligence hap been received announcing that
CONCHA entered Lugo on the 26th, and took 300 prisoners.
The Madrid Bolsa was closed on the 25th.

We have received the Paris papers of Friday and Satur-
day. The fete of King Louis PHILIPPE, was celebrated on
Friday with more than usual splendour and more than
usual enthusiasm. The weather was superb. Louis
PHILIPPE wherever he appeared was received with
enthusiastic shouts of Yive le Roi. He appeared
in excellent health and spirits. A grand recep-
tion took place at the Tuileries in the morning,
at which IBRAHIM PACHA was present. The KING with
his own hand invested the Egyptian Prince with the Grand
Order of the Legion of Honour, who expressed his gratitude
in truly Oriental terms.
The report of the Committee on the budget of ex-
penditure was distributed to the Deputies on Thursday.
The report itself extends to five hundred pages. From a
resume of it, which is given by the Journal des Debats, it
appears, that there exists a deficiency of nearly one thousand
millions of francs (equal to 40,000,0001.), and which will re-
quire eleven years of uninterrupted peace to cover it. The
Committee only propose certain small reductions in the salaries
of public functionaries, amounting in the whole to not more
than 422,417 francs. The report concludes by declaring,
with regard to Algeria, that the Committee considers it
desirable, in every point of view, that the administration
of the affairs of Algeria should be confided to the
direction of a Minister specially appointed for that purpose.
From the examination of the carriage in which the KING
was riding at the time he was shot at by LEcosax, it ap-
pears that the balls must have passed within the fraction of
an inch of his MaJxszv's head.

The Epoque states that the story in the Armoricain of
Brest about a traveller in a diligeace stating that the KING
had been fired at long before the event took place, originated
with a stupid fellow at Morlaix, who invented the story to
astonish and alarm the good people of that place.
The price of bread in Paris for the first fortnight in May
has been fixed at 35 centimes the kilogramme for the best
quality.
The Gazette de France was stopped on Thursday at the
post, and seized at its own offices. The motive for this pro-
ceeding is not stated.

BUSINESS DONE IN FOREIGN RAILWAYS AT THE
LONDON STOCK EXCHANGE, MAT 2.

Boulogne and Amiens, 12%—Bordeaux, Toulouse, and Cette
(Espleta), 21i—Central of Spain, I—Dutch Rhenish, 7—East In-
dian, % —Great Northern of France Constituted, 15%—Great In-
dian Peninsular, ►,4—ltalian and Austrian, 2—Louvain and Jo-
mappe, 1%—Lyons and Avignon, 2% —Luxembourg, 2% Madrid
and Valenti, I%—Namur and Liege, 2 —Orleans and Vierson, 17—
Orleans and Bordeaux, 11%—Paris and Lyons Constituted, 8
Sambre and Meuse, s%—West Flanders, 3.

Lord Lincoln arrived in town this morning from the north
of Scotland.

By our advertising columns it will be seen that the
Provident Clerks dinner takes place on Wednesday
next. Useful, without being ostentatious, based on sure
principles, and supported by all the mercantile and
banking interests of the kingdom, this Association ranks
among the highest, and when we see the President of
the Board of Trade taking the chair, and such a list of
stewards supporting him, we feel satisfied that any
eulogium on our part would be unnecessary. Our co-
lumns have often reported the growing prosperity of
this Association, and we shall be much disappointed if
the results of Wednesday do not far exceed those of last
year. The Association has our best wishes.

The Annual Grand Dress and Fancy Ball, in aid of the
funds of the Distressed Needlewomen, took place on Friday night at
Almaeles Rooms, which were fully and fashionably attended. During
the evening it was stated that the most illustrious in the realm took
a great interest in the benevolent object the Society has in view, and
that his Royal Highness Prince Albert set the example, which was
most extensively followed by the rank and fashion during the recent
winter, of patronising not only vests embroidered by hand, but the
collars of both dress and riding coats, and that an incredibly large
number of young women had thus found lucrative employment from
the Messrs. Nicolls, of Regent-street alone, to whom this practically
philanthrophic experiment was in part entrusted.
THE SOUTH-EASTERN RAILWAY.—The directors of
this railway have adopted a very liberal system, in furtherance of
the excellent plan of running " excursion" trains, which promises to
become exceedingly popular. Since the opening of the line to Rams-
gate, a new code of fares has been issued, at greatly reduced rates,
in addition to which, by a recent arrangement, passengers by any of
the trains, on payment of one fare and a half, are entitled to traverse
the line (to and from) between all the stations on Saturday, Sunday,
and 34,11 day. The thirty minutes after eight A.M. train from
London-bridge yesterday morning consisted of no less than twelve
second, and third class), all of Which were densely
crowded with passengers. At each station down the line an acces-
travellers took place, and upwards of five hundred persons
acces-
sion of
s between Ramsgate and Canterbury alone during the day.
took ticket
(first,
SERIOUS ACCIDENT ON THE GREENWICH RAILWAY.
neon, an accident of a most distressing nature oc-
curredycaesrriteargdeitsy
of the Greenwich Railway, to a man named Reuben
on the line .
eight years, residing in the Spa-road, Bermond-
aged twenty
Martin,the service of the Greenwich Railway Company
Bermond-
sey. Martin was in
employes
at the Deptford station, and whilst en-
and was usually
e_ige,
town, whereby
knocked down by one of the
gaged near the Cretok br
wards town, whereby he received a fl-ightnil
trains proceeding
bait six Inches in letigth, and severe injury to
wound of the scalp, a
several contusions and bruises on various
after
immediately stoppoi by the engl-
he train was.
parts of his body. T
was found to be quite insensible, and bleeding copiously
arest surgeon's, where neer, when he
srried to te ne
Ile was
tike Injuries he Mid sustained
from the wound,
1 dresSed, bUt mPLY deemed uocassawt o
his wounds were P nature that it was
were of such an extensive
roso
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the skull, together with
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