The Sun.
London, England, 1870-10-12 00:00:00

STABILITY OF IRONCLADS.

We have reason to believe that either a committee or a
Royal Commission will be appointed shortly to investi-
gate the condition of our new ships. The loss of the
Captain has directed attention to the whole question of the
stability of our ironclads, and it is not improbable that
extensive alterations will have to he made in some of the
vessels upon which we have most prided ourselves.—
Western Morning News.

The Pall Mall Gazette says :We have received a letter
from Monsignor Sacr6, Dean of the Church of Notre
Dame at Antwerp, requesting us to contradict a statement
which reached us from Brussels that iu a sermon preached
in that church Catholics had been exhorted to accept the
Pope's deprivation of temporal power. We gather from
our reverend correspondent's letter that, so far from
countenancing any such view of what has taken place, he
believes in the temporal power very strongly.
The Maidstone Journal says :—" The Empress, with a
few attendants,takes daily walks in the village and on
the common of Chislehurst. Sightseers are not so plenti-
ful as was expected, if we except Sundays, when her.
Majesty attends the beautiful little Roman Catholic
Chapel at n o'clock. It is, however, pleasant to see the
great respect shewn to her by all classes. The Prince
Imperial generally accompanies the Empress, attended by
his tutor and guardian."

At a Special General Court of the Royol Caledo-
nian Asylum, on the motion of Dr. Ramsay, seconded by
Professor Donaldson, the following resolution was unani-
mously adopted :--" That the bye-laws requiring the
election of children to be by ballot be suspended in regard
to any of the children of sailors or marines lost in her
Majesty's ship Captain, provided they are otherwise
eligible under the bye-laws, and that it be remitted to the
directors to snake the necessary arrangements for the ad-
mission of such children without payment and without
ballot."

THE CATTLE PLAGUE IN FRANCE AND GERMANY.
—The journal of the Agricultural Society of Brabant has
published some particulars of the cattle plague. It has
lately made great ravages in France by the borders of the
Meuse, and in the neighbourhood of Sedan. The agricul-
cultural returns for the Grand Duchy of Luxemburg
shew that the disease has made an alarming increase on
the French and German frontiers of the country. By an
imperative order the frontier has been absolutely closed
from Belvaux to Dudelange, and the exportation of cattle
has been prohibited. The Minister of the Interior in
Denmark has forbidden the entry of all cattle coming
from the States of the North German Confederation.
ATTEMPT TO MU RIDER A WIFE.—A brutal
attempt to murder a wife occurred in Nottingham on
Monday afternoon. The wife of a man named William
Astill, a labourer, left her husband about a fortnight ago,
owing to his ill-usage, and went to live with her mother.
On the day named Astill went to his wife's residence
and asked her to go and live with him again,
but she, refused to do so. He again went to her in the
afternoon and tried to prevail upon her to leave her
mother and go with him. He then asked her to have
some drink, and offered her a sovereign, saying he "loved
the ground she walked on." She still, however, refused
either to go and live with him or to have any drink. Upon
this he drew out a pistol and shot her in the head. The
unfortunate woman fell from her chair on the floor.
Astill then took a razor from his pocket and attempted to
cut her throat. His wife seized his hands, as also did
his mother-in-law (who was present at the time). He,
however, succeeded in inflicting a fearful wound in his
wife's neck from below the ear towards the chin. Her
fingers were also badly lacerated in attempting to wrest
the razor from his grasp. The neighbours, alarmed by
the screams of the women, now appeared on the spot,
and the fellow dropped the razor and decamped. Several
medical men were promptly on the spot, and the police
were communicated with, but last night Astill was still
at large. His wife, who is 27 years of age, lies in a pre-
carious state.

.iIONSIEUR DE KERATRY INTERVIEWED

BY A. " HERALD " CORRESPONDENT.

The New York Herald gives the following account of
an interview with the Prefect of Police in Paris, by a
correspondent:—" The clock of Notre Dame struck nine
as I traversed the Pont an Change on my way to the
Prefecture of Police. Paris was sad. The Th6Citre du
ChAtelet and the Thatre Lyrique, which I had just,
passed, were closed and silent ; the shops in the neighbour-
hood already shut ; the starless sky was dark and
threatening, and even the Seine appeared more sombre and
sluggish than usual. The stillness of the night was un-
broken except by the wind, which howled in fitful gushes,
and of the Marseillaise,' which was roared by sonic
half-dozen drunken moblots, drinking absinthe at a
tin a boire wino shop. By the flickering light of the gas
lamps I could distinguish the round towers of the Prison
de la Conciergerie, in one of which, you may remember,
I visited Pierre Bonaparte when .a prisoner awaiting trial.
Passing the Palais de Justice and the Sainte Chapelle I
turned down the quay with the intention of entering the
Prefecture by one of the side entrances. I was stopped by
two of the National Guard on sentry, one of them
in full military glory, the other in plain clothes, but
with rifle and pouch belt. "Oa etc. volts?" they
shouted.

" wish to see the Prefect of Police.'
" Go to the 'west entrance ; no person can pass this

way.'

" A few steps further and I encountered several of the
municipal Garde de Paris, still in the uniform of the
former regime. In reply to my inquiry for the Prefect
they referred me to another couple of National Guards
men, as they no longer have authority. Again in the
darkness I heard Ou allez ?vas 1' instead of the smart
challenge- of the regular soldiers. You cannot enter
this way ; you muss do so by the principal entrance.'
There I found a line of sentries of the Garde de Paris, at
some distance in advance of the Prefecture. By one of
them I was conducted to the gate, which was guarded by
Garde Nationale. Ou allez vows 1' said a round, barrel-
led officer of the citizen soldiers.
" ' I have come to see the Prefect,' said I.

Wait there,' replied rotundity ; I shall send a man
with you and you are not known in the Prefecture,' he
added with characteristic impertinence of a person in
unaccustomed authority, you will be brought out
again.'
I have a strong impression that I have seen the corpu-
lence of this officer covered with a white apron, standing
behind a counter of a tripe and trotter shop in the neigh-
bourhood of the Rue Montmartre.
" Not a cocked-hatted sergeant-de-ville is to be seen near
the Prefecture. My conductor, one of the National
Guard, took me in tow. We mounted the wide stone
steps, turned sharp to the right through a temporary
passage with sides of rough„ plankin,gs the Prefecture
having been for many months under the process of being
transformed into a modern police palace), and soon
became entangled in a series of windings and intricate
channels, which, without the assistance of my guardian I
could not have threaded. We came to another wide
staircase, mounted to an upper storey, gave my card to a
huissier, who disappeared and returned in a few minutes
with the announcement that we must go to another bu-
reau. More passages, more staircases, more National
Guards, more everything. To approach the Prefect of
Police under a Republic is far more difficult than to dine
with the Emperor. What on earth has he done to be
afraid of being seen?
We arrived at two enormous folding doors. No sign of
life. We entered a dark passage, at the end of which the
glimmer of light through a key hole spoke of more doors.
My escort, who, by the by, smoked furiously, groped his
way. The second doors opened, and we entered a large
room with vaulted roof. Sitting at a table were three
huissiers ; a half opened door revealed a guard room
filled with National Guards. There was a National Guard
with rifle and fixed bayonet on sentry in the room, and
another, reinforced with a Municipal Guard, in the ad-
joining chamber at the two .large folding doors, entering
without doubt, the chamber occupied by the successor of
M. Pietri, the ex-Prdet de Police. One of the huisssiera
asked for my card and left us. In the waiting room were
four gentlemen decorated with orders of every imaginable
description and country. They looked important and im-
patient at being kept waiting. My chance of interview
with Monsieur le Prdet fell to zero.

" I had, however, waited but a few minutes when the
door was opened and my name was called. As I left
the room the ribbons of the decorated changed colour ;
they had beat the devil's tattoo in the waiting
room in the ante-chamber for more than an hour. Enter-
ing a small room I found Monsieur Jaij, Chef du Cabi-
net, who, holding out his hand, said that the Prdfet de
Police was anxious to see me personally andthat he would
introduce me to him. He opened the large folding doors
opposite to those by which I had entered and we stood in
a spacious apartment still bearing the stamp of imperial
luxury. In the centre of the room was a handsome. table.
enriched with ormolu, on which were a set of ivory keys,
similar to those of a piano. They were in connection
with electric bells—and could be played on when necessarY
—for calling the huissiers and various other employs con-
nected with the prefecture. Sitting at the table was
a man of about forty years of age, of middle
stature, simply 'attired in black, but wearing at the
buttonhole the red ribbon of the Legion d'Honneur. It
was Monsieur de Kdratry, Prefet de Police. I entered.
He rose and offered me a chair at his said. I have never
found that the impression formed at the first glance of A
person is wrong, and when afterwards I may have
changed my opinion, in consequence of paying too much
attention to that of others, I have invariably discovered
that I have made a mistake in not adhering to my own-
M. de Ksratry is gentlemanly and unassuming in manner.
His regard is open, fixed and penetrating. He is evidentlY
cool, active and decisive in action. _ .

" I have heard," said the newly appointed PrMet,
" that you have arrived from the neighbourhood of Stras-
burg, and shall be obliged if you will give me any in-
formation in your power with respect to the state of the
country."
"I brought to his notice the state of distress and suffering
in which are the inhabitants of the Vosges, Alsace, and
Lorraine. As in my correspondence I have already given
you full details with respect thereto, it is useless for me
to repeat them on this occasion. With regard to other
questions more especially connected with the operations
in the field, and the mistakes which had been made by
the French military authorities, for various reasons I
must refrain from mentioning them. It is sufficient to
say that in my opinion over confidence had been one of
the principal causes of disaster, and I trusted that this
country, which I consider my home, would not omit any
precaution, as Prussia was now bringing her choicest
troops against the capital.

" Let them come," said M. de K4ratry, and his cheek
blanched with determination; "tiro are prepared for
them. -Not one of them will ever return to his oW
country. The world will see of what the French nation
is capable !"

" We conversed for half an hour, and before taking roY
leave I pointed out to the Prtifect of Police the annoyance
to which I had been subjected by the French authorities
and impossibility for me to furnish correct information
unless I was protected by the government. Calling the
Chef du Cabinet, M. de K'ratry instructed him to giVe
me every facility in his power. The Pr6fet shook nIY
hand warmly, and I left, well pleased with the result of
my interview and the thought that, should my unluctcY
star bring me again within the clutches of some bumpkin
mayor, I shall not be fored in self-defence to 'stamp hiril
out.'"

At the laying of the foundation stone of a now
church in Omagh, the Duke of Abercorn exhorted Irish
'episcopalians to draw closer the bonds of cordiality and
goodwill among Protestants of all denominations in Ire-,
land.

The Glasgow Chamber of Commerce on MontlaY
ordered a communication to be forwarded to the Car
mittee of the Privy Council for Trade, suggesting that
their lordships should reconsider the present system 01
dealing with irregularities in regard to export entries at
the Custom House, and attach a fixed penalty to such
offences.
IRISH MODESTY.—At the Sunderland Board of
Guardians a day or two ago the following letter was real
from one of the candidates for the office of schoolmaster
" beg to offer myself as a candidate for the office d
schoolmaster to your union. lam a seepnd-class teacher'
trained 1864, and doubtless would have no difficulty in oh;
taining a first-class certificate now. Present age 31.
am on ex-student of the London University. I failed to
pass the last examination because I did not know Freocll,*
I passed in all the mathematical subjects. I never would
degrade my posicion by offering myself for a union sch°°'
were it not that I hope to be able to save a little to enable
me to finish my education. I am well known to the Bel;
H. Martin, M.A., Rev. J. Rudd, S. Gourley, M.P., 311('
all the other gentlemen in the locality ; but I consider it
degradation to ask for a testimonial for such an object'
and would be doing myself an injury if I did not succeed.
I enclose my carte dc visete, which I got taken this sumre
I am not maried, and should like very well to get a vnie
in Sunderland.—(Signed) Owen Kavanagh, Lynn-streeti
West Hartlepool." This letter was read amid roar"
laughter.