The Sun.
London, England, 1870-06-23 00:00:00

THE DROUGHT.

The expectation which was created by the break in the
drought made by the storm of last week ha ;a, says the
Post, been utterly disappointed. The clouds which
had previously from day to day massed themselves
overhead have again dispersed, and we are now in a second
stage of earthly and atmospheric dryness, which is
worse as regards crops and vegetation than the first.
The prospect which existing phenomena thus place before
us is somewhat gloomy, and it is the more so because
each year of late has exhibited indications that there
is a change going on in the seasons which we may have
to meet permanently. Had we been anything more
than' the merest empirics, or had we possessed ordinary
foresight, we might have met the state of things which we
have ourselves created by storing our supplies of rain
water in large tanks as is done in India, and have dealt
it out to the lands in periods of emergency such as
the present. But we have neglected all precautionary
and counterbalancing measures, and we are now reduced
to the condition of waiting upon the weather.

THE BISHOPS IN THE LORDS.

The Dublin Freeman of to-day (Thursday), commenting
on the motion for excluding spiritual peers from the
House of Lords. says :--" The lords spiritual had better
look out. Their places in the House of Lords are likely
to be vacant before many years roll over their right
reverend heads. The Nonconformists are resolved to
carry out the policy of their forefathers before Charles
the First's time, and relegate the Bishops to their
sees, where they are more useful than the
Upper House. Mr. Beaumont opened the trenches on
Wednesday night. The Conservatives do not appear to
have felt much interest in the motion, for they mustered
only 158. The Liberals were not very anxious about it,
for they knew that the removal of the Bishops is only a
branch of the far larger question, viz., the disestablish-
ment of the Church. That the Liberal party will gird
themselves for the encounter as soon as circumstances are
allowed, we have many indications ; but the time has not
yet come, and meanwhile such motions as Mr. Beau-
mont's are uremature.

THE FIRE AT OONSTANTINOPLE.—A statement of
the number of persons left houseless by the late fire at
Constantinople, and sheltered by Government in tents on
the Armenian Cemetery, the Place d'Artillerie, and near
the Artillery Barracks of the Taxim, gives the following
classification :—Armenians, 6,447 ; Greeks, 1,722 ; Latins,
449 ; Italians, 285 ; Frenchmen, 47 ; Austrians, 40 ;
Englishmen, 25 ; Russians, 13 ; Turks, 6 ; making a
total of 9,034. The number who have been burnt out
and are provided with provisions by the Government
at the Taxim is 15,000, making an aggregate of 24,034.

The Mormons at Plano, Illinois, who claim to be
the true Church, do not recognise polygamy. They have
recently addressed a memorial to the President and to
Congreas, asking that they may not be confounded with
the " Latter Day Saints ' of Utah in any legislation upon
the question of polygamy and disloyalty. The memorial
presents evidence to prove that the doctrine of plurality
of wives was rejected by Joseph Smith and Hiram Smith,
the original presidents; and that the revelation on the sub-
ject was hot known until 1852, and was then announced
in Utah. The paper also contains an epitome of the faith
and doctrines of the Plano Mormons, in order. as they say
to place themselves right upon the record, both theo-
logically, socially, morally, and politically.
The Government of Paraguay has made a demand
upon Brazil for the surrender of Madame Lopez and the
large amount of treasure said to be in her possession. It
'is said that Madame Lopez was the accomplice of the
Dictator of Paraguay in his cruelties and robberies, and
that the goods found in her carriage when captured were
the property, of his victims. The Brazilian Minister,
however, refuses to surrender Madame Lopez, and says
that whan she is released her accusers can take such steps
as they might.think 'fit in tlib courts of law, and can
recover the damages out. of the proceeds of the estates
belonging to her, which have been seized by the Provi-
sional Government of Paraguay. The Brizilian Minister
also states that the effects of Madame Lopez, seized in
her coach, were of no great value, as is proved bythe
inventory of them taken by the committee of officers
on the; Brazilian man-of-war at the port of Asuncion, on
-Which she is-now held as prisoner. .