The Sun.
London, England, 1856-08-08 00:00:00

THE SU N,; tioNDON FRIDAY EVENIW(S;--ATYGUST 8) 185

Mose ,w is assuming a most Oriental look. The whole
of the Kremlin is surrounded with scaffolding con-
structed for the illumination, which is to last for three
days after the coronation the high tower of Ivon Ye-
liku wilt be lit up I, orn the base to the summit, the
latter surmounted with an immense glittering crown of
flame. Every house will also be illuminated.
FATAL ACCIDENT AT THE FULHAM GAS WORKS
Yesterday morning, between eleve❑ and twelve o'c.ock,
a mechanic, named James, lost his life by an unfortunate
accident at the Imperial Gas-works, Fulham. It ap-
pears that he was engaged in driving some rivets into a
gas-holder, and sat upon a seat suspended by ropes at a
considerable height from the ground, and incautiously
pressed so hard against the side of the holder that the
seat slid from under him, and he fell to the ground. He
was immediately taken up and removed to St. George's
Hospital in an insensible state, where he survive 1 only
a few hours. His injury was found to be a comminuted
fracture of the skull, the back part of which was broken
in like the shell of an egg.
SUDDEN DEATH AT THE DUKE OF YORK'S COLUMN.
—Yesterday evening Mr. Langham held an inque4 at
St. Martin's workhouse, touching the death of James
Baker, aged 44 years, of Loader-place, WeAminster.
Wm. Boyd, a privateof the Scots FthsilierGuards, deposed
he was on duty at the Duke of York's Column on Mon-
day afternoon, about one o'clock, when he saw a crowd
of persons round the deceased (whom be saw but a few
minutes previously in the full enjoyment of health and
spirits) sitting on the ground insensible. Mr. Bain-
bridge, surgeon, of St. Martin's-lane, on making a post-
mortem examination, found that deceased died from a
rupture of one of the large vessels of the heart, which
filled the pericardium with blood.—Verdict of Natural
Death.

RURAL FETE IN AID OF THE GREAT WESTERN
RAILWAY WIDOWS' AND ORPHANS' FUND.—This fete
took place on Wednesday, at the seat of Earl Bathurst,
Oakley-park, Cirencester, his Lordship on the occasion
kindly granting the committee the use of the park for
the purpose. A monster train left Paddington station
at 8 a.m., which was also placed for the u'e of the com-
mittee by the Great Western Railway Company, and
proceeded to Oakley-park. The band of the company,
under the superintendence of Mr. John Day, delighted
the company with their music on the route, and at
Reading they were joined by the Royal Bcffe Militia
band. Tne day was splendid, and the fate highly suc-
cessful, the company returning home well satisfied with
the day's pleasure. We trust that the funds are bene-
fited thereby.
MISSING SKlPS.—Notices have been posted at Lloyd's
ecting several vessels which are missing, and supposed
tobe lost with all on board. The ship August and Julius
sailed from Lagos for London on the 11th of last Novem-
ber, and has not since been heard. The City of Montreal
sailed from Liverpool for Quebec on the 2d of last April,
was afterwards spoken with on the 24th of last month in
lat. 45 lon. 47, s.nee which nothing has been heard of her.
Tue Eclipse, Captain Hughes, sailed from Sangor on the
2d Nov. for the Mauritius, and has not since been heard
of. The George and Mary, of Hartlepool, sailed from the
Tyne for C,:nsta,ntinople in December last—not since
been beard of. The Nereus Monte, Capt. Rickles, which
left Liverpool on the 6th March, for Konigsberg ; the
Venezuelan ship Pauline, from New York for Puerto Ca-
bello ; the Progress, Capt. Rabat, sailed fr-im Liverpool
on the Bth Jan. for Garee, and the Triune, of Wivenhoe,
for Ballyshannon, have not been heard of since they
sai!ei.

THE SCREW STEAM SHIP GREAT BRITAIN.—The owners
of the Great Britain are about to introduce improve-
ments into this vessel for the purpose of applying more
effectually to her the principles on which the Royal
Charter has been constructed. The vessel will be sup-
pled with new sternposts, projecting beyond the present
ones, and a Lew rudder. The ecrew will also be made
to lift, by which it is expected the speed of the ship will
be accelerated about two miles an hour when under Fail
alone ; and as these alterations will project the rudder
about two feet further aft than it is at present, and pro-
portionately lengthen the rue of the ship, it follows that
she will eteer better. But one of the most important
alterations troposed relates to the removal of the main-
mast, which is to be placed 15 feet forward of it present
position, and by which tree ship will obtain increased
sailing c!-ptcities. -Very material alterations will also be
made in the deckhouses and cabin accommodation of
the ship, an almost entire transformation being content-
plwed in this department.
THE COLLIERS' STRIKE AT BARNSLEY.—There is a
strong probability that the strike at the Oaks Colliery
will be brought to a conclusion at the end of the pre-
sent week. On Wednesday last, by desire of the pro.
prietors, a conference took place between them and a
deputation from the turn-outs. The conference was of a
very friendly character. Ultimately the proprietors
offered to pay a man nominated by the workmen to
go along with Mr. Minto in inspecting the pit, &c.
This was declined. The rule with regard to working
twelve hours a day was introduced. The manager
stated that it was not intended to apply to the men
working in the bottom, and the major part of the pro-
prietors seemed averse to this and the other rules ob-
jected to' by the men, which they said they now heard
of for the first time. It is generally believed that the
result of this conference will be that the bottom steward,
Mr. Minto, will be dismissed, and a perfect reconcilia-
tion take place between proprietors and workmen.
THE SUNDAY BANDS IN MANCIIESTER.—The Man-
chester City Council, at their quarterly meeting, on
Wednesday, were occupied about six hours in debiting
the question. of Sunday bands. Memorials were pre-
sented against the bands in the parks on Sundays from
clergymen and ministers, from teachers and conductors
of Sunday-schools, from 158 merchants and others re-
siding near the Q ieen's-park. froiu the officers of the
Manchester Sunday-school Uaion, represenCng 900
teachers and 9,000 scholars, and from certain church.
wardens and other officers ; and, on the other hand, a
memorial war presented in favour of the bands from
15,305 working men. Mr. Alderman 'lliocroft moved
a resolution recommending the gentlemen constituting
the bands committee to withdraw them. Mr. Alderman
Barnes seconded the re,olution. Mr. Alderman Hey-
wood moved an amendment to the effect that it was un-
necessary at present to interfere with the playing of
bands in
.the, parks on Sunday. Mr. Hairy Rawson
seconded the amendment. On a division the amendment
was negatived by 27 to 18, and the original resolution
was then passed without a division. •
ATTEMPTED MURDER.—An attempt at murder was
male a few days ago in the forest of Senart. A gentle-
man named P--, a person of about 65 years of age,
employed in the ponts et-chaussees for the arrondisse.
went f C,rbeil, went to inspect some works which were
being carried on for the improvement of the roads. On
passing through the forest on his way from Etielles to
Villeneuve, he was suddenly attacked by a man dressed
in a blou-e, who starred out from the trees,nnd who
aimed a blos, at his breast with a knife. The force of
the blow was fortunately broken by a book in his breast-
pocket, or the knife would have pierced his heart. As it
was the wound was slight. Having a metre rod in his
hand with a brass ferrule at the end M. P-- aimed a
blow with it at his assassin's head, which took effect so
effectually that it brought him to the ground, and while
he lay there pertly stupefied, M. P-- made the beet
of his way through the forest, and reached Vdle-
neuve in 'safety, where he gave information of what had
occurred to the police. When they arrived at the spot
where the footpad had been knocked d ,wn they found
it unoccupied, as he had taken f off.

THE MORMONS BY THEMSELVES. --The following
apology for polygamy has been recently addressed by
Brigham Young, chief of the Mormonites, to some of the
refract try brethren :—" I do really wish that some were
possessed of better sense; I will therefore tell yau a few
things that you should know. God never intro.luctd the
patriarchal order of marriage with a view to please man in
his carnal desires, nor to punish females for anything
they had done ; but he introduced it for the express pur-
pose of raising up to his name a royal priesthood, a pe-
culiar people. Do we not see the benefit of it Yes, we
have lived long enough to realise its advantages. Suppose
that I had had the privilege of having only one wife, I
should have bad only three sons, for these are all that my
first wife bore, whereas I now have buried five sons, and
have thirteen living. It is obvious that I could not have
been blessed with such a family if I had been restricted
to one wife ; but by tits introduction of this law I cart
be the instrument in preparing tabernacles for those
spirits which have to come in this dispensation. Under'
this law I and my brethren are preparing tabernacles fur
those spirits which have been preserved to enter into
bodies of honour, and be taught the pure principles of
life and salvation, and those tabernacles will grow up
and become mighty in the kingdom of our God." One of
the elders—Brother Grant—in a Sunday morning dis-
course, gives the following as his experience of the work-
ings of polygamy :—" You cannot alter it, yon cannot
alter it ; you cannot revoke this eternal law. If a man
has fifty wives, and the fiftieth is the bee, dots the
most good, she will get the greatest reward, in spite of
all the grunting on the part of the first ones."
A GHOST STORY.—In these days of enlightenment we
hear very little of ghosts and supernatural visitations,
and superstition is growing nearly out of date. Still
there are persons to be found who adhere to the old.
fashioned belief that " spirits oft walk in death," and
there are no inconsiderable number of these located in
our goodly town, as has been manifestly shown within
the last few days. About a week ago some benighted
individual saw, or fancied he saw, a ghost parading in
the dead of the night within the precincts of St. Mary's
churchyard, Birmingham. Terrified almost beyond
measure, he hastened from the haunted spt, and the
story of this extraordinary visitation imparted to many a
wondering mortal, who returned with bins to wa ch.
Nothing more was seen that night of the dreaded spectre,
and' the party returned homeward with their thirst for
horrors unsated. The report got abroad in the neigh-
bourhood, and on the following night larger numbers
visited the scene of terror, but still his ghostship did not
deign to make his appearance. Night after night the
ghost seekers gathered around the churchyard, but the
more they looked for him the more the goblin would not
appear, being evidently of a retiring disposition. As
may be supposed, the larger portion of the crowd each
night has been composed of the lower cEas of Irish,
residing in the vicinity of St. Mary's and the John
and Thomaststreet localities. Loud and long have been
the clamours created by the impatient multitule,
much to the annoyance of the inhabitants of the neigh-
bourhood, who have in consequence ftuffered a good deal
of annoyance and disquietude during the hours wherein
they should have enjoyed their peaceful repose. A com-
munication was sent to the Rev. J. C. Barrett, who ob-
tained the assistance of the police in putting down the
disturbance, but their aid was of little avail. On Monday
night, however, about half-past 11 o'clock, police con-
stable Branson captured a man named J. Moran, a resi-
dent of John-strset, who being "full of liquor and dis-
tempering draughts," valorously declared that ha would
catch the ghost, and entered the churchyard for that pur-
pose. He was brought up on Tuesday at the police-
office, and fined 2s. 6d. and costs for his misconduct. It
is to be hoped that this examp7e will have a salutary
effect on the others.—.Birntingltant Journal.