The Sun.
London, England, 1870-01-13 00:00:00

in tne vorps mg,isiatit itself, the sitting was, as I have
told you, somewhat troubled. In the discussion on a military
question, a dispute arose respecting the right of the army
to take part in politics. M. Gambetta declared the
acts of the Minister of War to be illegal, and his words
threatening. " Where would be liberty without the army?"
said M. Hiaentjens. " Where would be the Empire with-
out the army ?" replied M. Arago. Some words of the War
11linister called a protest from M. Gambetta, " Who
authorised you, M. le Ministre, to say that we wish
for an emeute?" M. 011ivier, upon this, interposed, and
declared that the Government did not accuse the
Left of any such intention. They esteemed them toe
highly. There could be no question of an
emeute between the Government and the Opposition
so long as the Opposition was present in the
Chamber. The danger of an army against liberty was
when it fought for itself. The Government desired
liberty loyally and fully, but it did not admit that
liberty entailed weakness. M. Gambetta, in an
angry speech, declared that there was an incom
pltibility between the empire and universal suffrage. A
day would come when the majority without an appeal to
force would arrive at the Ii epublic. "Between the Republic
of 1843 and that of the future the Empire is but a bridge
—and we pass it." M. 011ivier protested, but Jules Favre
and other speakers shewed little inclinationto support him.

The Rev. J. F. Mackarnees will be consecra'ed to
the see of Oxford in Westminster Abbey on Jan. 25th (the
Feast of the Conversion of St. Paul).

The Guardian is requested to state that there is
absolutely no foundation for the assertion that Dr. Temple
made most urgent appeals to the Bishop of Winchester to
consecrate him.

The Government, according to the Irish Times, has
finally decided not to call out the Irish Militia for training
this year, and recruiting for this branch of the service will,
therefore, not be resumed at present.
The late Bishop of Manchester (Dr. Lee) has, we
learn from the Manchester Guardian, bequeathed his valuable
library to Owens College, an institution in whose success he
always manifested a deep interest.
It is rumoured that his Royal Highness Prince
Edward of Saxe Weimar, C. 8., will have the command of
the Brigade of Guards, vacant by the promotion of Lieu-
tenant-General Hamilton. Prince Edward gained distine
tion while serving with the Grenadier Guards in the

Crimea.
The Guardian states that the Archbishop of
.Can-
terbury has presented to Mr. Gladstone the names of Arch-
deacon Parry and the Rev. Charles Sandford, Censor of
Christ Church, and for many years one of his Grace's
domestic chnplains, for the office of Suffragan, under the
title, according to ancient precedent, of Suffragan of Dover.
The Convocation of the Prelates and Clergy of
the Province of Canterbury was yesterday prorogued in
the Board-room of Queen Anne's Bounty by the
Vicar-General, Sir Travers Twiss, uncle' a commis-
sion from his Grace the Lord Archbishop of Canterbury,
Primate of all England and Metropolitan, pursuant to the
Royal writ, to Wednesday, February 9, at 11 o'clock, in the
Jerusalem Chamber, Westminster.
The Morning Post hears from Washington that
Mr. Fish communicated his despatch to Mr. Motley on the
Alabama claims to the Senate, while suppressing at the same
time Lord Clarendon's conclusive answer. 'This conduct on
the part of the American Secretary seems to the Post inex-
plicable, unfair, and calculated to lead on the one side to false
impressions, and on the other to a notion of unpleasant, sys-
tematic hostility.
The Manchester Guardian is informed that the
liberalised Austrian tariff under the treaty with England,
after three years' discussion, has at length been signed. In
the main, it is said, its original scope and tenour have not
been departed from.
The Nile has risen this year to a greater height
than on any occasion within living memory, and the
results are likely to be disastrous. Dykes, villages, rail-
roads, and telegraphs have been swept away, and the
damage is estimated at 200 millions of francs.
FROGS IN FRANCE.—The notion that Frenchmen
live principally on frogs is somewhat discredited in Eng-
land at present, but the following would go to shew that
the creed of our grandfathers is not altogether without
foundation even at the present day" The exportation of
frogs to France," says the Echo du Luxembourg, " has
developed considerably of late. A man, named B—, of
Vance, has forwarded 200,000 in the last three
weeks ; on Thursday he sent off 30,000. They
are chiefly sent to Rheims, Laney, and Paris.
A thousands frogs fetch 13f. (10s. 6d.), and weigh
50 kilogrammes (1 cwt.). They enter France duty free.
At Rheims 25 pairs of frogs' legs can be bought for GO
' centimes (lid.). The thighs, as every one knows, make
delicious joints (des succulents rdtis) with white sauce and
in a fricassee. They are thus a dish by no means to be
despised. But the rest of the body, and the skin—the
sticky, slimy skin—what is done with that? Why, they
netke—turtle soup of it! Yes, that savoury meek tuifie
(sic !) over which gourmands lick their lips, has for its
chief foundation the animals which haunt the marshes
an,l the fields of Luxembourg. The autumn and the
spring are the best time of the year for frogs."
A. CELEBRITY.—Some years ago a butcher of the
name of Wilson lived at Romford. He was a most eccen-
tric character, and became very famous. He was a great
proficient in psalmody, and on a Sunday, before the ser-
vice began, used to amuse himself and the congregation
with singing psalms by himself, till the minister came into
the desk. On the last fast day, while all the
congregation were taking refreshment between
the morning and evening service, he never quitted
the church, but repeated the Lord's Prayer, and
sang appropriate psalms from pew to pew, till he had per-
formed these devotions in every pew in the church. Mr.
Wilson was as singular in the mode of taking his meals as
the late President Lincoln, who declined on one occasion
to sit down with the other members of the Cabinet, but
wandered round the table, sticking a fork into a chicken
or anything else that took his fancy, and laughingly
saying, " I'm kinder browsing round." Wilson used
to take a shoulder of lamb in his hand, a quantity
of salt in the bend of the arm, in which he
carried the joint, and with a small loaf and a largo knife
would sally through the town, and never return till he
had eaten the whole of his provision. He was the most
corpulent man in Romford, so perhaps he took his meals
in this peripatetic fashion for sanitary reasons. As a
penman he was unrivalled. His bills were exquisitely
written, but whimsical to a degree. The top, line, per-
haps, German text; the second, print; " beef " in one
hand, " mutton " in another, "lamb " in another, and all
written in various colours.
AN ECCENTRIC DINNER.—Dean Swift on one
occasion invited to dinner several of the first noblemen
and gentlemen in Dublin, who, knowing his punctuality.
assembled at the time appointed to the minute. A servant
announced the dinner, and the dean led the way to the
dining-room. To each chair was a servant, a bottle of
wine, a roll, and an inverted plate. On taking
his seat, the dean desired the guests to arrange
themselves according to their own ideas of pre-
cedence, and fall to. The company wore astonished to
find the table without a dish or any provisions. The Lord
Chancellor, who was present, said, " Mr. Dean, we do not
see the joke." "Then I will shew it you," answered the
dean, turning up his plate, under which was half-a-crown,
and a bill of faro from a neighbouring tavern. " Here,
sir," said he to his servant, "bring me a plate of goose."
The company caught the idea, and each man sent his plate
and half-a-crown. Covers with everything that the appe-
tite of the moment dictated, soon appeared. The novelty,
the peculiarity of the manner, and the unexpected car
cumatances altogether excited the plaudits of the noble
guests, who declared themselves particularly gratified b 3
the dean's entertainment. "Well, gentlemen," said the
dean, "if you have dined, I will order the desert." A
large roll of paper, presenting particulars of a splendid
dinner, was produced, with an estimate of the expense.
The dean requested the accountant-general to deduct the
half-crowns from the amount, observing "that as his
noble guests were pleased to express their satisfaction
with the dinner, he bogged their advice and assistance
in disposing of the fragments and crumbs," as he termed
the balance mentioned by the accountant-general,
namely, two hundred and fifty pounds. The company
said, that no person was capable of instructing the dean
in things of that nature. After the circulation of the
finest wino, the most judicious remarks on charity, and
its abuse, wore introduced, and it was agreed that the
proper objects of liberal relief were all educated families,
who from affluence, or the expectation of it, were reduced
through misfortune to silent despair. The dean then
divided the sum by the number of his guests, and ad-
dressed each amount to some deserving person.

It is probable, on the abolition of the office of
Inspector at Chatham Dockyard at the end of the
financial year, that, with the exception of two who
will be superannuated, fresh employment will be
found for the inspectors in the various offices in the
yard, to replace "non-professional" writers who
have been latterly discharged from the service ; it
is not at all improbable that " non-professional"
writers will hereafter be dispensed with entirely.
The armour-plated ship Pallas, 6, Capt. Aynsley,
was removed on Monday from Hamoaze into Ply-
mouth Sound, where she will embark her powder
and ammunition preparatory to her departure for
coastguard duties at Eingstowu.