The Sun.
London, England, 1870-08-12 00:00:00

A NEW CONVENTION.

The text of the convention agreed to by the Go-
vernments of England and France for the establish-
ment of a system of Post-office money orders has
just been published. The agreement not only pro-
vides for the transmission of money from England
to France and vice versd, but includes Algeria in the
scheme. The mode of transmission will be the
same as at present exists in the United Kingdom ;
the ownership of the orders being transferable by
endorsement. The maximum sum for which any
order shall be granted will be £lO or 252 francs. The
commission to be charged will be twenty centimes
on each sum of ten francs or fraction of ten francs,
sent from France and Algeria to the United King-
dom, and reciprocally these will be charged on the
transmission of money from the United Kingdom to
France and Algeria as follows :—For every sum not
exceeding £2 sterling, a commission of 9d.; for
every sum above £2 , and not exceeding £5
sterling, a commission of ls. CA.; for every sum
above £5, and net exceeding £7 sterling, a
commission of 2s. 3d. ; for every sum above
and not exceeding £lO sterling, a commission of
of 3s. As in the case of British money orders, the
commission must be paid by the remitter. The con-
vention will come into operation from a day to be
agreed upon by the two parties after its promulga-
tion, and it is to remain in force from three months
to three months, until one of the parties have
given notice of its intention to terminate it. There
can be but one opinion as to the value of this agree-
ment, which, from the daily growth of commercial
intercourse between the two nations, has became an
absolute necessity.

HER MAJESTY.

OSBORNE, AUG. 11,

The Queen and their Royal Highnesses Princess
Louise, Prince Leopold, and Princess Beatrice, attended
by the Ladies and Gentlemen in Waiting, embarked
yesterday afternoon on board her Majesty's yacht Victoria
and Albert, Captain his Serene Highness the Prince of
Leiuingen, G.C.8., and, after steaming through Spit-
head and past the forts there, went round to the south
side of the Isle of Wight.
Her Majesty returned to Osborne at eight o'clock.
Prince Leopold drove out yesterday with Mr. Duck-
worth.

The Queen went out this morning attended by the Hon.
Harriet Phipps.
The Earl of Wilton had the honour of dining with her
Majesty yesterday.

A. very sad occurrence is reported at Rio de
Janeiro, namely, the burning of an emigrant ship and the
consequent loss of over 100 passengers on board.
_ _ . _

The Rev. William Rayner Cozens, M.A., incum-
bent of Holy Trinity, Westminster, has definitely ac-
cepted at the hands of the Earl f Dudley the vacant
vicarage of Dudley. The living is worth £1,250 per year.

The Bishop of Manchester has recommended " all
Christian people " within his diocese to make use of the
Archbishop of Canterbury's prayer, or some similar one,
" till God sees fit to restore to Europe the blessings of
peace."

Lieutenant-Colonel Lloyd-LindFay, V.C., M.P.,
has subscribed the munificent sum of £l,OOO to the funds
of the National Society for Aid to the Sick and Wounded
in War, of which the Prince of Wales is president. Mr.
Charles Buxton, M.P., has also sent a donation of £2OO,
and the Marquis ( f Exeter and Lord Overstone one of
£lOO each.

The financial letters from Paris describe a general
panic. The bankers, it is said, offer to pay their accep-
tances without discount, in order simultaneously to
diminish their liabilities and their credit account with the
Bank. On all sides there arc eager buyers of bills on Lon-
don and United States bonds.

THE FRENCH DISPOSITIONS.—The. disposition of
the French about the time of the declaration of war was
excellent. It was evidently part and parcel of a long-
considered plan of campaign. Three corps at Thionville,
Alvold, and Bitche in the first line, im-
mediately on the frontier ; two corps at Metz
and Strasburg, in a second line ; two corps
in reserve about Nancy, and an eighth corps at
Belfort. With the aid
.of the railways, all these troops
could be massed in a few days for an attack either across
the Slat' from Lorraine, or across the Rhine from Alsace,
striking either north or east as might be required. But
this disposition was essentially one for attack. For de-
fence it was absolutely faulty. The very first condition
of a disposition of an .army of defence is
this : to have your advanced troops so far in front
of your main body that you receive the news• of the
enemy's attack in time to concentrate your troops before
he arrives upon you. Suppose it takes you one day's
march to get your wings to close on your centre,
then your advance guard should be at least one
day's march in front of your centre. Now, here,
the three corps of Ladmirault, Frossard, and
llc Failly, and afterwards a portion of MacMahon's too,
were close upon the frontier, and yet spread upon a line
from Weisseuburg to Sierck— at least ninety miles.
To draw in the wings on the centre would
have requieed fully two days' march and
yet, even when the Germans were known to
be within a few miles in front, no steps were
taken.either to shorten the length of front or to push for-
ward advanced guard to such a distance as would secure
timely advice of on impending attack. Is it to be won-
dered at that the several corps were defeated by piece-
meal ?—Pall Mall Gazette.