The Sun.
London, England, 1870-05-05 00:00:00

IitISH WIT AT ENGLISH EXPENSE.

This week's Irishman makes merry at the expense of the
English papers alleged to have been threatened by the
Fenians. It takes the Times office, with the editor ankle-
"‘deep in sand, bent over his writing-desk, writing a
leader :—" The social state of Greece is such as to pre-
clude further argument with that wretched kingdom.
-England must interfere in the interests of humanity and
'civilisation. Not grant an amnesty to brigands !—for-
bidden by the constitution to grant an amnesty to brigands,
,yet authorised to grant amnesties to political offenders ! !
—to proffer such allegations is to trifle with Great
Britain. If the rulers of the country are powerless to
prevent outrages at fourteen miles from the capital "
-" What's that? A noise ? John, ho, quick, John, quick."
John : I'm 'ere, sir, don't be narvish, sir, 'ere you
;are, sir.—Editor : Did you hear a squeak, John ?—John :
•A squeak, sir ?—Editor : A horrid squeak.—John: A
squak, sir, no sir.—Editor : I'm certain 'twas a squeak,
John, are the constables on the alert ?—John (through the
keyhole) : Pleacemen, what ho ! Pleacemen, make hanswer
and reply, if yer please, pleacemen.—Chorus of police,
upstairs and down : 'Ere we are, h-aull right.—Voice in
the pantry, somewhat choky : 'Ere I ham.—Echo from
the street : 'Ere we is again ; nothing in view but a hum-
brella and a hold gent. We ave seized the humbrella,
but the hold gent is fled. We shall follow soon.—Editor
(hastily) : No, no, no, John, bid them remain.—John :
Pleacemen 'alt, don't go for to make hoff hafter hold gent.
'Alt and remain, stay where you is.—Editor : Is the coal-
hole guarded, John?—John :Passthe word to the coalhole,
sargint; is the sentry awake ?—Husky voice from the
depth) : H-all right. —john :All guarded, sir ; may I shut up? -
Editor : So, all well as yet. Shut up, John ; nay, stay, put
an extra sandbag to the keyhole. Good, standreadynow.—
Where was I with my article, oh yes. Shocking state of
Greece, shocking. Fourteen miles from the capital.
Shocking, shocking (writes) : "If the rulers of the
country are powerless to prevent outrage at fourteen miles
from the capital, it remains that other rulers must
interfere to establish security. There are more murders
to the same per tentage of the population in England
than in Greece or in Ireland—there are more crimes whose
perpetrators are undetected in England than elsewhere—
yet it would be un-English not to feel strongly indignant
at outrages in—other countries. There the criminals
may be refused amnesty, detected, punished—yet we
have shewn how we could overlook such an odious com-
parison with undetected crime in England, in order to
pass a Coercion Act for Ireland—shall we be more
queasy as regards Greece ? Telegrams tell us the
Greeks fired "—starts muttering, " Greek fire "—looks
cautiously around, calls John again.—John: 'Ere, sir;
want me, sir; shall I write, sir, a little now—you do look
done hup.—Editor, cautiously : Did you hear anything
like a splash on the roof, John ? John : Splash, sir • no,
sir : roof, sir; no, sir.—Editol : Signal, John, signal.
John puts his head up the chimney, and is heard with
muffled voice calling, Hat-tention, pleacemen on the
roof—heard a splash—make hanswer." Withdraws his
head. A slight fall of soot. Editor starts again. Voice
huskily down the chimney, falls like a falling star. " Hall
right, 'ere, again. Sand six inches deep, with our Heye
upon it still. One drop of rain fell from the evins
which caused the splash." Editor resumes. (Left
resuming.)

EFFECTS OF THE PARIS PLOT fN LONDON.
On Tuesday night a special meeting of the General
Council of the International Working Men's Association
was held in London in reference to the alleged complicity
of the association in the plot to assassinate the Emperor
of the French. Mr. Robert Applegarth took the chair.
Dr. Maix introduced the subject by referring to the
attacks made upon the association by the French Govem-
ment papers, and the arrest of a large number of the mem-
bers of the French sections of the association. He repu-
diated any connection of the association with the alleged
plot. After some discussion, the following declaration
was unanimously adopted, and ordered to be signed by the
Council and sent to the French and other Continental
journals for publication :—" On the occasion of the last
pretended plot, the French Government has not only ar-
rested several members of our Paris and Lyons sections,
but has insinuated in its organs that the International.
Working Men's Association is an accomplice in that pre-
tended plot. According to the tenour of our rules, it
is certainly the special mission of all our branches in
England, on the Continent, and in the United States, to
act not only in centres for the organisation of the working
classes, but also to aid, in their different countries, all poli-
tical movements tending to the accomplishment of our
ultimate end, the economical emancipation of the work-
ing class. At the same time these rules bind all our sec-
tions to act openly. If our rules were not positive on
that point, the very nature of an association which identi-
fies itself with the working classes would exclude from it
every form of a secret society. If the working classes who
form the great bulk of all nations, who produce all their
wealth, and in the name of whom the usurping classes
always pretend to rule, conspire, they conspire publicly, as
the sun conspires against darkness, in the full consciousness
that without their pale there exists no legitimate power. If
the other incidents of the plot denounced by the French
Government are as false and unfounded as its insinuations
against the International Working Men's Association,
this last plot will worthily range with its two predecessors
of grotesque memory. The noisy and violent measures
against our French sections are exclusively intended
to serve one singular purpose—the manipulation of the
Plaiscite." On the same evening a dinner was given in
the Portland-road to MM. Gustave Flourens and Tibaldi
M. Le Lubez presided, and the company numbered a few
hundred Frenchmen. The occasion was officially described
as a " Democratic banquet in honour of the Citizens
Tibaldi and Flourens." M. Tibaldi was prevented by anac-
cident from being present. The oratorical burdens of the
evening, therefore, fell to the lot of M. Flourens. Liberty
equality and fraternity were the animating points of his
speech. M. Flourens positively affirmed that he had
nothing to do with the recent intrigues in Paris • that he
knew nothing of them ; and that he had, in fact; nothing
to own or disown ; but that, in any case of public interest
he did not belong to himself, but to the cause whose
principle he fought to defend. Still keeping to liberty,
equality, and fraternity, he said that his principles
were, education to elevate the people, to which end
he would transform the churches into schools, the barracks
into colleges of science. When M. Flourens came to
speak of Tibaldi, the enthusiasm of his audience was
fairly aroused ; and when the speaker alluded to the long
years that Tibaldi had spent in struggles against Austria,
and to his unjust transportation to Cayenne, cheers again
and again broke out. The names of Rochefort and
O'Donovan Roam were then coupled in a toast.

THE EUROPEAN POWERS AND THE GREEK
MURDERS.
The Vienna correspondent of the Eastern Budget says
that the representatives of the Powers have held a con-
ference to diScuss a proposal of the French Ambassador
that an identical note should be addressed to the Greek
Government, protesting against the insecurity of life and
property in that country. The Russian Ambassador
alone protested. Upon the receipt of the information of
the massacre, the Greek Ambassador at Vienna was to go
to Count Beust to hear the intentions of the Austrian Go-
vernment in respect to the matter. Count Beust declined
to make any positive statement at that time. Since then
the Austrian Government has formally expressed
its intention of supporting in the most ener-
getic manner any steps that may be taken
by England and Italy, in order to obtain satisfaction for
the murder of their respective subjects, and to provide
against the occurrence of such acts in future. The
Austrian Ambassador at Athens, Herr von Haimerle,
has itpplied for leave of absence, but Count Beust has
refused his application, on the ground that his presence
at Athens is indispensable at this crisis to enable Austria
to take her due share in any negotiations which the
Powers might enter into with the Greek Government.