The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-03 00:00:00

THE ATLANTIC YACHT RACE.

We congratulate readers of newspapers in this country
and America on the fact that the " preliminary" correspen
dence on the proposed Atlantic Yacht Race is at an end,
and with a result. As will be gleaned from copies of tele-
grams published in another page, the race will take place
on the 4th of July, from Old Kinsale Read, Ireland, to
New York. The owner of the Cambria, as is manifest in
his letters, was anxious to start from Cowes, but the owner
of the Dauntless was obdurate, and it became evident
that, if Mr. Ashbury did not concede every point, the
American gentleman would again decline the contest. For
our own part, as we have said on previous occasions, we
do not regard such a race as a satisfactory means of testing
the relative merits of English and American yachts. We
would much prefer such contests as those in which we
were u.imistakably beaten by the yacht America in years
gone by; but, as the Americans show so determined a
preference for these prolonged and uncertain
courses, we are glad to see that an entire concession
to every wish has been made in order that the
proposition may be carried into actual effect. It is satis-
facto-y, however, to know that there is every prospect of
matchez of a more decisive and reliable character taking
place on the other side of the Atlantic between the Cara-
brie, and American yachts, under such conditions as
will leave no doubt as to the respective merits
of the yachts of each nation. We do not await
the result with any degree of anxiety, and would give
preference to no English yacht before the Cambria to make
such an essay as she is about to undertake. We will
spare our readers any remarks upon the wear -i. 7 corres-
ponds_ N c and .ar contemporari ha. ished
relatin.: I, Lie " challenges," and upon the probable
chances and results of the contests. The whole sub-
ject has been before .us perpetually fur more
than twelve months, and a complete rest of six
months is absolutely necessary to give to it zest
and freshness. We can only . say, without fear of any
charge of undue rartiali'y, that, so far as we
can judge, Mr. Ashbury has behaved in a straightforward
manner throughout this almost interminable correspon-
dence, and exhibited a steady desire to have other and
more satisfactory contests with Transatlantic yachts than
a single race across the ccean to New York.—The

The Mt:ffield Independent states that the Govern-
ment Education Bill is "understood" to be in a forward
state of preparation, and it will be introduced early in the
session. The measure, our contemporary hints, is a mode-
rate one.

NAMES IN INDIA.—The Athenaum calls attention
to forthcoming alteration of the names of India. A
uniform spelling, proposed by Mr. W. Hunter, has been
accepted by the heads of departments, and nearly all the
local governments. The postal guide is to be revised, the
representatives have adopted the new plan, and the official
maps are to be altered.
Loss OF A COASTGUARD CRUISER. The
Admiralty have received information of the loss of one of
her Majesty's coastguard cruisers, with all hands, early
on Friday morning, during a hurricane from the south-
ward and westward, about thirteen miles east of Cape
Clear. The vessel is supposed to be either the Fanny or
Victoria. A box of books, marked "H.M.S. Valiant," has
been washed ashore. This package formed a part of the
vessel's cargo.

At the West Riding Court at Keighley the Rev.
Patrick Kiernan, Catholic priest of Keighley, was sum-
moned for assaulting an insurance agent in the neighbour-
hood. He dragged him out of the church because he had
not paid the price he attached to his benches. The com-
plainant had paid twopence, the ordinary charge, but the
defendant declared that he had a right to fix the price,
and was justified in turning out those who did not com-
ply with the rules. The magistrates thought Mr. Kiernan
was guilty of an assault by ejecting the complainant in
the way he had done. To mark their sense of the
offence, they would inflict a small penalty of five shillings
and expenses. Mr. Kiernan intimated his intention to
appeal.

GARIDALDL—According to letters recently re-
ceived, it appears that General Garibaldi has been lately
suffering from an attack of rheumatic fever, which con-
fined him to his bed. The last accounts were more favour-
able, and not the slightest danger was apprehended. He
has been subject to violent attacks of rheumatic fever
ever since he was in South America. The first
attack was caused by his remaining in the water
several hours in the fruitless endeavour to save
the life of a sailor, who, singular, to say, was named
Maurice Garibaldi, although he was no relative
whatever to the General. The worst attack he ever had
was at Nice in 1848, when he was confined to his bed for
many weeks. In 1849, during the siege of Rome, he suf-
fered constantly, more or less ; it was then in his legs:
and he was seldom able to draw his boots on. In 1861,
the General had two yery dangerous attacks of rheumatic
lever--one in Turin and the other at Caprera ; and each
year since ho has had, sometimes two, sometimes three or
four attacks of chronic rheumatism.

SPONTANEOUS COMBUSTION.—The earliest case of
supposed spontaneous combustion of the human body
which has a semblance of authority to sustain it is said
to have happened in 1725, and from that time down to the
year 1847, when the last alleged case occurred, some fifty
instances are recorded. Liebig made an analysis of all
these cases in 1851 and found that they nearly all agree
in the following points :-1. They took place in winter.
2. The victims wore hard drinkers, and were drunk
at the time. 3. They happened where the rooms
were heated with fires in open fire-places or pans
of glowing charcoal. Cases where rooms are heated by
means of closed stoves are exceedingly rare. 4. It is ad-
mitted that no one has ever been present during the com-
bustion. 5. No one of the physicians who collected the
cases, or attempted to explain them, has ever observed
the process, or ascertained what preceded the combus-
tion. 6. No one has known how much time had elapsed
from the beginning of the combustion to the mo-
ment when the consumed body was found. Out of
forty five cases collected by Frank, of Berlin, in 1843,
there are only three in which iteis assumed that the com-
bustion occurred when there was no fire in the neighbour-
hood ; and Liebig clearly shews that .these three cases are
totally unworthy of belief. The conclusion to which ho
comes is that " spontaneous combustion in a living body
is absolutely impossible." Flesh which has been
saturated with alcohol for a great length of time,
as anatomical preparations, is not combustible;
if ignited, the alcohol burns off, scarcely scar-
ring the flesh. The corpses of drunkards have never
been found to be combustible. M. Duvergie has opposed
Liebig's views, and has expressed the opinion that
molecular changes may take place in the living body by
which it becomes more combustible from the absorption of
alcohol, or from its conversion into more inflammable
compounds ; but he admits that the combustion is pro-
bably never spontaneous. Dr. Marc has suggested that
inflammable gases, and possibly even phosphoretted
hydrogen, which, under certain circumstances, in2ames on
contact with the air, may be generated in the living body,
and may thus give rise to its spontaneous combustion;
but this is merely a theory to account for such cases of
combustion, if they have occurred.

The Liverpool Courier claims to have "good
authority" for stating that the Irish Land Bill has
been, or is being prepared, by Mr. Campbell, a
get tleman formerly (ng4;ed in settling the Talook-
dar and ryot dispute in Ondh, and having large
experience of such controversies in other parts of India.
The most remarkable feature in the draft, bill is the
estal Fshment of a board of land commiss:oners
;vith full powers to arrange, without appeal, all
disputes between landlord and tenant. As a long
ime must k lapse before such a commission shall hay
completed its labours, in the meantime Ulster tenant-right
will be legalised wherever it prevails, and clauses enforcing
compensation to tenants for permanent and admitted ha-
prey petits will he ipcorpoWeel in the measure.