The Sun.
London, England, 1870-10-19 00:00:00

INDIAN NEWS.

Bombay papers to the 24th of September have been
received by way of Brindisi. They contain little news of
general interest. The war in Europe, it is stated, extends
its influence to the remost corner of the Punjaub. The
shawl-workers, whose manufacturers find their readiest
market in France, are, almost thrown out of
employ. In Umritsur, where there are thousands
of Cashmerees employed by the great native or
French shawl merchants, the looms are almost all stopped,
and it is feared that much distress is inevitable. The
Maharajah of Cashmere has presented Sir Donald
Macleod with 31,000 rupees, in order to aid in
connecting the name of the ex-Lieutenant-Governor with
the Punjaub; it is believed to be the wish both of the
donor and recipient that the amount should be devoted
to the endowment of a fellowship or scholarships in the
Lahore University College. The deaths are announced
of Colonel Blackwood, of the Staff Corps, and Captain
H. W. Garnault, Royal (Bengal) Engineers.

The petition against the return of Mr. Straight for
the borough of Shrewsbury alleges bribery. Mr. Cotes,
however, does not claim the seat.
Sir Thomas Abdy declines to come forward for
Colchester, and it is believed Sir Henry Storks will con-
test the seat in the Liberal interest.
At the Dublin Northern Divisional Police-court,
on Saturday, a man named Thomas Coghlan was fined
210 for selling to a butcher a diseased cow for human food,
knowing it to be diseased.
An honorary canonry in Manchester Cathedral has
been conferred upon the Rev. Thomas Rothwell Bently,
M.A., rector of St. Matthew's, Manchester.
A:fire broke out on Saturday night upon the farm
of Mr. Burton, Enfield Chase. The dwelling-house, out-
buildings (with one or two exceptions, and these are
damaged), and some farm produce and implements, were
destroyed. The loss is estimated at about £l,OOO. The
cause of the fire is unknown. Mr. Burton was insured.
FATAL ACCIDENT THROUGH A VELOCIPEDE.—
Mr. Carttar, on Monday, held an inquiry at Greenwich
respecting the death of Mary Ann Akers, aged eighty-
nine. The old woman, who was deaf and nearly blind,
was knocked down on Blackheath, a few evenings ago, by
a velocipede, and died a few days afterwards. The coroner
remarked upon the large number of riders of velocipedes
frequenting Blackheath, and coming down the hill at a
furious pace, but beyond the fact that the deceased was
knocked down by a velocipede they had no direct evidence
as to who the rider was. The jury, under his advice, re-
turned a verdict that death had been accelerated by the
shock to the system caused by being knocked down by a
velocipede.

The Liberte learns from Madrid that Castelar intends to
make, on the opening of the Chambers, a proposition of
great importance, tending to an alliance with the French
Government. Prim wishes to preserve the status quo,
and desires to maintain the regency of Serrano until the
close of the war. If the result be favourable to France he
will then endeavour to get proclaimed as President of the
of the Spanish Republic ; if Prussia should triumph, he
will accept Prince Hohenzollern as King, and will aim at
being his chief Minister.
BILLIARDS.—A match of 1,000 up between J.
Roberts (ex-champion), and G. Hunt, was 3ecided on
Monday evening, at the Hercules Tavern, Kennington-
road, in the presence of a fair muster. Hunt, who
was allowed a start of 300 points, succeeded in holdin
his own until the seventh hundred, when Roberts passed'
him and ultimately won by 95 points. The ex-champion's
principal breaks were 81 (which included four and six spot-
hazards), 64, 61, 42, and several between 20 and 30. Hunt's
kighest breaks were 55, 52, and 40, and two of 28 each.—
Sportsman.

COUNT BISMARCK AND DR. JACOBI.—The Berlin
correspondent of- the Manchester Guardian telegraphs a
translation of Count Bismarck's answer to Dr. Jacobi :

FERRIERES, Oct. 2.—Your favour of the 26th ult. was

laid before me yesterday. lam not able to exercise any
direct influence on the decision of the Govtrnor-General of

the coast district, as his sphere of action is outside my
official competency. For the explanation of the motives
of his military measures for preventing demonstrations
which encourage the enemy in his resistance of our forces,
the governor has intended to lay certain documents before
his Majesty which are not yet before me. As soon as the
same have come to hand, I shall be glad if the conviction
respecting the circumstances which they produce in
my mind allows me to promote the fulfilment of your
wishes.

TREATMENT OF THE AGED POOR IN A WORK-
HOUSE.—On Monday night an inquest was held in
Camden Town on the body of Mary Haliday, aged 70.
The deceased was an inmate of the infirm ward of St.
Pancras Workhouse. About one a.m. on the Bth
instant the deceased fell out of bed, and was
allowed to remain there for some time, the
night pauper help, named Mary Scroggins, being en-
gaged with anothor infirm person. Next morning the
deceased was seen by the medical officer, who found her
insensible and suffering from concussion of the brain,
from which she never rallied, and expired on the 11th.
Miss Anne Walters, superintendent of the women's in-

firm ward, said she had more than 400 patients in the in-
firm wards, no paid nurse, but the assistance of 45

pauper helps.. She thought one paid help would be
better than the 45. The jury thought the matter of
nurses ought to be .seen into, and returned a verdict of
Accidental Death.

PARIS UNDER THE SIEGE.

A correspondent of the Telegraph sends the following
by balloon Monte, under date .of Wednesday, October
13 :—" The aspect of Paris remains unchanged, and by
'the aspect of the streets after nightfall one might think we
.were living in the time of the curfew bell. To economise
the gas, only half the street lamps are lighted, cafes and
shops being likewise restricted in this respect. Many
remain completely closed the whole day, others are half
opened : by eight or nine o'clock p.m. all are shut
and the streets are deserted. An hour later cafes and
cabarets are closed, and the once gay boulevards become
almost as silent as the streets. Of news there is but
little, and the days and weeks are monotonously
alike. Everyone fears lest the enemy should
intend taking the city by famine, and everyone
hopes the contrary. Meantime provisions are
decidedly growing scarcer—notably meat, fresh or salted;
and in another fortnight, it is expected, we shall,
willy-nilly, have to accustom ourselves to horseflesh. To-
day I dined off cheval ' for the first time—rather un-
willingly, I confess ; but there was literally nothing else
to be had in the way of meat. It is calculated that there
are enough of horses in Paris to last for three months. I
doubt this, although at present horse is abundant, at
the rate of sd. or 6d. the pound, finest quality.
The faces •of the Parisians begin to look deci-
dedly long at the proposed rations of meat ; and,
if one hints the prospect of the rations growing smaller as
the siege grows longer, folk look graver still, In yester-
day's paper there was quite a pathetic article on the pot-
au- feu so dear to the Frenchman's heart. To credit the
writer, they were ' stoical to the loss of balls, re-
unions, theatres, concerts, &c., but could not philoso-
phically face the probable emptiness of the pot-au-feu.'
I hope they may not have to do so ; for, seriously,
I dread the misery that aprolongedsiege must bring for the
poorer classes. The number of respectable girls and women
who already haunt the streets selling newspapers and
medals of the Republic, or—still worse—begging, is
alarming. Perhaps it is in the view of employing the
female part of the population thrown out of work
by the siege, that a corps of Amazons of the Seine
has been formed. I was considerably astonished
when I saw the announcement in the journals—indeed, I
scarcely credited it until I had gone to the office where
those intending to join the corps were to leave their
names. The door was fairly besieged by applicants, ail
in a state of the greatest excitement at the prospect of
killing a Prussian. The 'Amazons' must give a
reference as to respectability, &c., and be certified by a
the doctor in attendance as sufficiently robust to support
the fatigue. The uniform is inexpensive and simple, con-
sisting of a black woollen blouse, furnished with a hood in
case of bad weather, black cloth pantaloons, striped with
orange and black, and orange kepi. Each fair
warrior must find her own uniform ; the arms will
be furnished by the Government. An ambulance
will be reserved expressly" for wounded ' Ama-
zons.' The idea is certainly novel, but it seems to be, well
received here. ' Who can tell,' I overheard one Mobile
say to his•friend, whether among the battalions of the
Amazons • another Joan of Arc may not arise to
save France ? ' News of M. Gambetta, who
left on Saturday in a balloon, has been received
only to-day. A carrier pigeon has returned, bear-
ing a despatch under its wing, by which it appeared
that M. Gambetta had arrived safely at Montdidier, and
is probably ere now at Tours. What a gap between bal-
icons and railways, pigeons and telegrams ! But, uncer-
tain as this manner of communication with the outer
world is, it is better than none ; and every praise is due
to the postal authorities, who, under the present un-
paralleled circumstances, have done and are doing their
utmost to expedite the letters and despatches en-
trusted to them. When one recollects that the Depart-
ments have sent here above 100,000 Mobiles, it is possible
to form some idea of the'anxious mothers, wives, sisters,
and friends left in the provinces, whose only ray of com-
fort during the absence of their dear ones for their
country's defence is the receipt of a letter from Paris.
A few mornings ago I formed one of a number of
people assembled to witness the sending away
of a post balloon freighted with loving mes-
sages to distant homes. An oppressive feeling of sadness
crept over me as I looked at the eager upturned faces of
of the crowd watching the fast disappearing balloon; for
how many of those whom I saw that morning full of
health and strength will be laid low by Prussian
bullets in the spring-tide of their life 1 how many of
those distant homes must be desolate, how many
hearts must ache, what bitter tears be shed, before
this cruel, murderous war is over ! This afternoon there
has been a sharp cannonading in the vicinity of Clamart.
The French have made a sortie, and have, it is said, been
driven buck ; but this is only rumour, although I confess
I think it more likely to prove true than false.
Yesterday I visited one of the ambulances,
and was struck by the remarkable cleanli-
ness, freshness, and comfort pervading it. There
were above 500 wounded, and among them a
little boy of about seven years of age, who had
been injured in the arm by a Prussian shot. According
to the little patient's version, he was playing in his father's
garden, near Versailles, when he saw a Prussian soldier
attempting to climb the wall, no doubt with the intention
of pillaging. He called out to his father to come, but
before the words were out of his mouth, the soldier fired
and ran away. For the sake of humanity, let us hope
the shot was intended only to frighten and not to injure
the child."