The Sun.
London, England, 1869-07-02 00:00:00

THE EDUCATION OF THE BLIND.

The society whose aim is to teach the blind to read
is, we are glad to learn, progressing. Its supporters
are most earnest. Sir Charles Lowther, for instance,
has recently set aside £30,000, the interest of which
is to be employed in the • distribution of bibles
for the blind of Yorkshire. Sir Charles was
the president at the annual meeting of
the Society for the Education of the Blind,
held oh Wednesday in Willis's Rooms. The report
spoke of progress, and dwelt especially on the fact
that the price of Moon's Bibles had been reduced
:rom £8 to £4. The Rev. W. H. Milburn, the late
chaplain to the United States Congress (himself
blind), Dr. Gale. and others. addressed the meeting.
(From the Anglo-American Times.)
WASHINGTON, June 11.

Last Monday our city elections came off. The
City Register, Collector, Surveyor, Board of Al-
dermen, and Board of Common Councilmen were
returned. The Republicans swept every ward with
a majority of 5,000 on the general ticket ; that of F.
A. Boswell over J. H. Semmes for Collector, 4,539;
J. F. Cook over E. C. Eckloff for Register, 4,412 ;
P. H. Donegan over Iv. Forsyth for Surveyor, 4,613.
Among those elected the Register is coloured, so
is an Alderman and seven members of Council,
and such aresult could not be achieved without being
mixed up with a disturbance. A negro attempted to
vote the Democratic ticket, and a riot ensued ;
in,leed, throughout the day the " coloured cusses"
were most demonstrative and behaved very badly,
while the police acted with great forbearance. The
city was the scene of shouting and yelling, stone-
throwing, and theats of hanging ; but the main
fight was over Charles Stuart, a leader in the
coloured citizens' movement some of the mob saw
sitting in Mr. Given'astore inTwelfth-street. Imme-
diately the crowd gathered, and it was with great
difficulty the police saved Stuart from being lynched.
They got him out and conducted him to the polls
in the centre of a hollow square, when he cast his
vote for the Democratic ticket. It was on the way
back that the stone-throwing assumed a form of
such violence that Major Richards, Superintendent
of Police, was compelled to fire on the crowd. A
few were badly hurt, one negro, William Smith,
among the foremost in the attack, was mortally
wounded ; the excitement died out, and was not
renewed during the night, although trouble was
anticipated on the reopening of the theatre, as the
law of the City Council was to take effect prohibit-
ing any distinction on account of colour, but as no
coloured people presented themselves for admission
there was no fracas. A despatch has been received
from Santa Fe, New Mexico, that Mr. J. L. Col-
lins, receiver of Public Moneys, was killed in his
office on the sth inst., and the depository robbed.
A considerable amount of the treasure had lately been
paid away, and it has been discovered that the notes
stolen were not of large denomination, and did not
amount to $lOO,OOO. The latest despatch Treasurer
Spinner received says that $65,000 of notes hid away
in au outhouse had been recovered, leaving $31,000
;till missing. A clue has been obtained to the mur-
I derers, and a detective has been despatched 'at the

request of the New Mexican authorities. Mr. Col-
lins would, in a short time, have been superseded
by E. C. Little. Miss Vinnie Ream got a Trea-
sury warrant for $5,000 in advance for her model
of the martyred President, but the young lady lost
it at -New York just after taking her passage in a
steamer for Europe. In great grief she telegraphed
to General Spinner, by whose instructions a dupli-
cate was issued, and mailed that night. He took
the opportunity, however, of impressing on her the
necessity of being more careful, and getting up in
time. Miss Ream gees with her model to Italy,
accompanied by her parents, and Miss Fuller, the
daughter of Colonel Perry Fuller. The feeling
engendered by our elections is bitter, and se-
veral coloured men have been discharged for not
voting in conformity with the political opinions of
their employers. Advantage has been taken of the
President's absence to renovate the White House,
to improve some of the interior arrangements,
as well as to get it ready for the summer. Matting
has replaced carpets in the Green, Red, and Blue
Rooms, as well as in the halls and passages, and
the heavy curtains will give place to light ones.
Before the President's departure. Colonel Manuel
Frcyer mils presented as Minister Plenipotentiary
and Envoy Extraordinary from Peru. lie referred

to the hold Democratic institutions had obtained on
the American Continent in the great and powerful
Republic, and the constant desire of his country to
draw closer those ties which had always been main-
tained between them, more especially now that his
country had entered on the paths of progress and
of true liberty. The President welcomed him, as-
suring him of the correctness of the picture he had
drawn of the friendly relations between the coun-
tries, his desire to perpetuate them, and his confi-
dence in the Minister's co-operation towards that
end. The Convention of the National Division of
the sons of Temperance auspiciously commenced its
25th annual session on Tuesday. There were dele-
gates from nearly all the States and Territories, as
well as many from the Dominion, while Dr. Leo
represented England. Among the decorations of
the room was a picture of Queen Victoria, and ano-
ther of General Grant. The principal speakers were
from New York ; Dr. Lord delivering a humorous
address. The Convention called at noon on the
President, whose time, just before he left, was too
much occupied to receive many visitors. Admiral
Porter is about to take up his residence in the
house formerly occupied by Lord Lyons, which he
has purchased and refitted. General Dent is on a
visit to his family, and during the absence of the
President his private secretaries will remain at the
Executive Mansion to transact the private business.
The Report of the Board of Visitors to the Naval
Academy at Annapolis has been received by Secre-
tary Boric, and is flattering to the school, as you
may gather from what they say :—" That they have
overlooked nothing, and have stood ready frankly
to criticise and recommend changes, if occasion
should offer ; and that, with all heartiness and sin-
cerity, they report the Navy Department and the
country have just reason to be proud of the Naval
Academy." A case has been laid before the Attor-
ney-General showing the following circumstances :
A negro having left his employer, Mr. Weaver, in
Texas, to work for another, returned for his wages.
After beating him with an ox-box, Weaver went
into his house, got his gun, and in the presence of
his wife shot the negro labourer. As trials before
Texan juries result in nothing, Weaver was brought
before a military commission by order of General
Reynolds, and sentenced to be hanged. The ques-
tion before Mr. Hoar was as to the validity of such
a trial, and he upholds it on the ground that civil
government is not established in Texas, and until it
is restored military courts are constitutional; that
it is for Congress to say when war exists and when
it ends, and although for certain purposes it has de-
clared the rebellion closed, it has not declared it
closed as regards the restoration of civil government
in Texas. and the sentence is therefore legal.