The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-02 00:00:00

!LAT AND THE TEE FLOODS IN LINCOLNSHIRE.
-AILIANCE.

113E12.

tDO.

The Conservatives of the new division of Mid-
Surrey are going to give their members, Mr. Broderick and
Mr. Peek, a grand banquet at Kingston.

A IV orkman Men's Constitutional Association has
been formed in the borough of Chelsea. In answer to an
invitation to Lord Cairns to become the president, the noble
lord writes :—" I shall be happy if the Chelsea Working
Men's Constitutional Association wish it, to become their
president, and to give a donation of .£5 to their funds." Dr.
W. H. Russell, one of the Conservative candidates at the re-
cent election, is a vice-president of the association.

A: BUFF-COLOURED WOODCOCK.—About a fort-
night ago, in Galway, in the wood of Garrylaud, about two
miles from Gort, a buff-coloured woodcock was shot by
R. B. Templer, Esq. The bird had the same marks and
was of the same size as the ordinary bird, but his plumage
was in different shades of light buff instead of brown.
Mr. Templer has sent him to a bird-stuffer in Dublin to be
set up.—Field.

On the day following Christmas the Pope officiated
at the high altar of St. Peter's in presence of all the great
dignataries of Rome, the corps diplomatique, the royal family
of Naples, and an immense concourse of foreigners.
After the service he proceeded to the chapel of tho Holy
Sacrament, where he received from Cardinal Patrizi, the
sub-dean, the congratulations of the Sacred College. His
Holiness responded to this address in a speech of some
length, expressing his belief that the Church would not bo
desertrA by all its supporters.

Letters of administration of the estate of the late
Duchess Dowager of Sutherland, who died intestate, were
granted on the 24th of December to the present Duke, as the
son and one of the next of kin. The personal property
is sworn under £B,ooo.—The will, dated the 19th of
June, 1852, of the Right Honourable Francis Lord Ash-
burton, who died on the 6th September, was proved on the
22d of December, by his widow, Irortenso Eugenie Claire
baroness Ashburton, the executrix for life, Tho personal
property is sworn under £250,000. The dec.ased peer has
devised and bequeathed all his real and personal estate,
whatsoever and wheresoever, to his widow, absolutely.

ACQUITTAL OF PROFESSOR EWALD.—Judgment
was given upon the case of Professor Ewald on the 20th
ult. The President of the Court, Herr Etienne, read the
decision of the judges, which was the acquittal of Pro-
fessor Ewald. The decision was based upon the two facts
that it had not been proved that the King was personally
referred to in the pamphlet, and that no evidence had been
brought to shew that the author intended his remarks
to be defamatory. The students received the deci-
sion with a loud hurrah, and other demonstrations of
delight.

PROCLAMATION OF BANNS OF MARRIAGE BY
MOONLIGHT.—A contest in the parish of Forgandenny re-
garding the right to discharge the duties of scssion-clerk,
led to the novel proceeding of a proclamation of the banns
of matrimony at the gate leading to the church last Sun-
day. There, by the light of the moon, the clerk read the
proclamation of banns, to which no objections were raised.
On Wednesday the couple repaired to Perth, where the
marriage ceremony was duly solemnised by a clergyman
of the Established Church, who was evidently of opinion
that all due formalities had boon observed in proclamation,
even though it teas made by moonlight and outside the

I.a: ci

S'cols•ntan.

TILE DEATIIIN" A POLICE CELL.—The particulars
of the case in which a poor woman, who had been im.
neere,ed in the water and half drowned, was thrust half
naked into a police cell, and left there to die untended,
are of a peculiarly scandalous and inhuman character.
The police order is that, in cases of
.illness or danger, the
divisional surgeon is to be sent for immediately; or if he
be inaccessible,then,toprevent delay or injury, the nearest
qualified medical man. This order is too often disre-
garded by the police ; and this case is one in point.
There is no reason why this woman's life should not have
been saved ; and the neglect of duty seems to us to come
Icaltilik.W.M4tlghteraLß_EliffiLANkfil thlitfig

One of the agents of ;the United Kingdom Alliance,
who was commissioned Wwait upon the Earl of Kimber-
ley, the new Lord Privy Seal, thus states the
views of his lordship atigathered during the interview
"This morning,:December 19, I waited upon the Lord
Privy Seal, at 13mberley Hall, and he received me in
his library, where we had a protracted conversation,
but I find him adverse. He is opposed to every phase of
the temperance movement, and thinks that wine and malt
liquors are very good and very wholesome. The Permis-
sive Bill is merely a modification of the Maine Law, and
there is no doubt it has been a complete failure.
Nothing can be more certain than that a wonderful
improvement has taken place during the last half
century in the drinking habits of the upper
and.middle classes. This has been effected by education,
and we have every reason to believe that the same
agency will in time produce similar results among the
lower classes. Festina lente is his motto. He believes
that the Alliance has become a powerful body, and can
conceive it possible that a majority of the people will de-
mand the Permissive Bill, in which case he would yield,
because sooner or later the voice of the people will prevail.
Still, l►e does not think even this would alter his opinion
as to the unsoundness of the principle and inutility
of prohibition. He thinks, however, that a considerable
improvement is desirable in the license laws, and that
by agitating the question as we are doing, public
attention will be so directed to the evil that some geed
and satisfactory law will be obtained. For this reason he
wishes us well. He thinks we have done considerable
damage to the Liberal cause during the recent elections,
because he knows several places where seats have been lost
through the interference of the Alliance party.",

THE CUBA TES' AUGMENTATION FUND.

Canon Blakesley (the "Hertfordshire Incumbent ")
has a letter in the Times on the Curates' Augmentation
FUnd. The class of stipendiary curates, he remarks, has
increased very greatly during the last thirty years, owing
chiefly to the efforts made to meet the growing require-
ments of the rapidly-increasing population. Before that
time there were not only fewer unbeneficed clergy,
but their chances of preferment were better. Too
often several benefices were held by one person, and
the curate, left by the absence of his euperior "in sole
charge," frequently obtained the livings on the occurrence
of a vacancy. Almost simultaneously with the abolition
of Church pluralities came the movement in favour of
church buildings, church and school enlargemeit, the
creation of new districts, and the establishment
of special services. Everyone is familiar with the
frequent appeals made on behalf of such objects,
too often with the reason that the incumbent has made
himself responsible for the requisite funds, which are not
readily available. Canon Blakesley, in answer to the ques-
tion whether all this zealous effort is needed, quotes
some statistics to show how rapidly the population
has outstripped the ministrations of religion. He finds,
from a recently-published table of comparison between the
England of 1688 and the England of 1868, that whereas at
the time of the Revolution there were eighteen clergymen
to minister to every 10,000 of the population, and £llB
from every £lO,OOO of the national income went to
their maintenance, at the present time there are less
then nine clergymen for the same number of persons, and
their share in the national income is only £57 of every
£lO,OOO. Thus, while the population has quadrupled, the
number of ministers of the Established Church has not
le6n doubled, and their resources relatively to the wealth
of the country have diminished more than one-half. Even
these figures do not represent the actual diminution in the
power of the Church over the population, owing to the
altered distribution of the latter. Canon Blakesley thinks
it unfortunate that the religious zeal which displayed itself
some thirty years ago took the form of building churches
and schools, rather than of providing for a more efficient
pastoral agency. Owing to this, when the great demand
for clerical assistance arose, it was necessary to ordain
literates and others, who were not even partially inde-
pendent of the emoluments of their profession. Whereas
the Oxford graduates ordained in the decade from 1834 to
1843 were 2,076, and those from schools and colleges not
belonging to any of the universities were 533,
in the years from 1854 to 1863 the number of
Oxford graduates was 1,771, and those from other
colleges and schools and literates amounted to
1,403. The "Hertfordshire Incumbent" thinks that
such facts plead strongly on behalf of the Curates'
Augmentation Fund, since the change owes its origin to
a noble attempt to overtake the spiritual destitution of the
masses, and there are no other available means for meet-
ing the difficulties of the case. The secretary of the
Curates' Augmentation Fund wishes to make it more
generally known that every claimant of a grant must
have an income from a local source of at least £lOO a year
—but of 700 applicants this rule excluded nearly 300, and
it enables the society to confine its operations chiefly to
those who work in town parishes, and who have no time
to supplement their income by tuition or literary
work. The secretary thinks that it would be sound
policy to enable hardworking men with small
private means to remain longer as curates, and
not force them to take the first poorly-endowed
living which offers ; and to encourage men of
large private means, and those who add to their income
by educational or literary work, to take the small livings.
The difficulty found now in obtaining curates is attributed
not so much to the actual diminution of the number
taking holy orders, as to the increase in the number o
clergymen who devote themselves to literary and educa-
'4onal work.

Inspector Odell informed the magistrate that the
coroner's jury had returned a verdict of manslaughter
against the prisoner.
Mr. Barker said the case was adjourned for the purpose
of calling the mother of the deceased, and to ascertain the
result of the post-mortem examination.
Mrs. Isabel Moir said she was the mother of the
deceased. She had seen the prisoner about six weeks since
take down the rifle in the presence of the deceased, and
examine it. They were always on good terms together,
and she had never heard him say anything against the
deceased.

Mr. Dcnald was next called, and gave evidence as to
the cause of death.
A solicitor who appeared for the defence said that there
was no evidence of malice in the whole case, and observed
that the coroner's jury Lad returned a verdict of man-
slaughter.

Mr. Barker said that he saw no evidence of ill-feeling,
and remarked that he supposed the prisoner would reserve
his defence. He should commit on the charge of wilful
murder.

Miss Sarah Parker Remond, after a regular
course of study atthe Hospital St. Maria Nuovo, Florence,
and successfully pasing the necessary examinations, has
received a diploma for midwifery, and is commencing
practice in that city.

We are authorised to state that the Turkish
Government, on the representation of her Majesty's
Ambassador at Constantinople, has decided that all Greek
vessels which might be loading in Europe before the
rupture of the relations between Turkey and Greece
should be exceptionally allowed to enter the Ottoman
ports to discharge their cargo.—Times.
THE COLLIERY EXPLOSION AT HAYDOCK.—TIIO
list of the persons killed by this explosion, which occurred
on Wednesday last, has been further increased by the
death of Peter Marsh, a lad of 13, who was very badly.
burned. This increases the number of the dead to 25.
The inquest was opened on Friday morning at Haydock.
Very little evidence was taken, and the inquiry was
adjourned.

FROM LONDON TO CANTERBURY.—In referenco
to the promotion of Bishop Tait to the Primacy of All
England, we may note the former similar translations
from the metropolis to the greater archiepiscopal province.
Sudbury was the first, A.D. 1375; and then Courtenay,
1381 ; Warham, 1503 ; Bancroft, 1604 ; Abbott, 1611;
Laud, 1633 ; Juxon, 1660 ; Sheldon, 1663 ; Howley, 3828 ;
and Bishop Tait, the tenth and last in five centuries.—
Athenctin.

THE POPE'S CECUMENICAL COUNCIL. The
Tablet states that " active preparations are going on for
the General Council ; that the bishops of South America
and of other distant countries are already preparing to
leave their dioceses for Rome ; and that the cost of stalls
alone, which are to be occupied by the prelates in the
public sessions, in the right transept of St. Peter's,
amounts to £10,000."

THE ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY'S CHURCH
PATRONAGF.—The new Archbishop of Canterbury will
have in his gift two canonries in his cathedral, which are
connected with the archdeaconries of Maidstone and
Canterbury, six preacherships in the cathedral, and
nearly 200 livings. Amongbt these are the rectory of
Lambeth and several in the City of London, some of
them alternately with the Crown and the dean and
chapter of St. Paul's.

DEATH OF A BABY AT A THEATRE.--An in-
quest has been held in Thomas-street, hingsland•road, on
the body of Hilary Wright, aged six weeks. The mother
lad ;one to see the pantomime at the Britannia, Theatre
kvith tho child in her arms, and on uncovering its face

aside the theatre she found it was dead. The medical
vidence sheaved that death had resulted from suffocation
7 pressure, and the jury returned a verdict to that

ROYAL AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY OF ENGLAND.—
At a meeting of the Oxford Town Council, held on Friday,
attention was drawn to the fact that Oxfordshire was
one of the counties in which the Royal ALrricultural
Society of England could hold its meeting for 1870, and it
was determined that steps should be taken to induce the
society to select the city of Oxford for that purpose. It
was thought that with the railway communication pos-
sessed by Oxford it would 444 A good chance of being
aelentaL

The Stamford Mercury gives an account or a-sliftular
accident which occurred at Crowland on Monday evening,
and the particulars of which were detailed at an ingilest
held on Wednesday. It seems that at about -five
o'clock on Monday evening last, Mr. Crowson, builder,
of Deeping, accompanied by Thomas Garford and William
Gibb, two plumbers in the employ of Mr. Whyles, of
Deeping, started in a horse and cart to cross the Wash
on their return to Deeping, Garford driving. When
about three parts of the way across, a boat with
five labouring men met them on the gravel ; it was
snowing and blowing very hard at the time. The horse
shied at the boat, and, wheeling round, backed on to the
boat, which began sinking in about two or three feet of
water; and in a moment the horse, trap, and the three
men were plunged into the lake. Crowson appears either
to have fallen out or jumped just at the brink of the deep
water, as he contrived after a few minutes to struggle on
to the cradge, where he was in comparative safety. - The
other two poor fellows were, however, seen no more alive.
The occupants of the boat also got to the cradge, and
although they still retained the two sprits with which
they had been rowing, they appear to have been too
much paralysed, either with fright or cold, to be able to
render the slightest aid to the drowuingmen. The coroner's
jury returned .a verdict of "Accidentally drowned,"
accompanying their verdict with a presentment, calling the
attention of the justices, and also the commissioners of the
V.ra.shes, to the necessity of some kind of fence being laid
down by the side of the lake for the protection of the
public &ring flood time.

THE ALLEGED MURDER IN BARNSBURY.

Dr. Lankester has concluded the inquest on the body of
John Moir, who was shot on Christmas Day by a com-
panion, against whom a charge of murder is entertained,
and a somewhat different complexion was put on the case
to that presented before the police magistrate. The
deceased and the prisoner, George Campbell, who is
charged with his murder, were companions, and Jived
together with deceased's friends. Without any sign of
a quarrel, the prisoner, deceased, and another young
man left a party of friends who were enjoying themselves
in the kitchen, and, going upstairs to another part
of the house, the prisoner took up a rifle belonging to
deceased's brother, went out cf the room with it for a
short space of time, which was fixed by one witness at a
minute and a half, and on returning " presented" the rifle
across the table to where the deceased and the other
young man were standing. The deceased asked the pri-
soner what he was going to do, and his reply was "Put
the light out," evidently speaking of a practice which
riflemen used to be taught of " snapping" off at a
light. The light was on the table between the
young men, and at the instant an explosion fol-
lowed. The deceased fell, while the other young
man, who was shorter than deceased, was struck by
something on the side of the nose, and was also wounded.
The deceased was struck in the head, and was killed
at once. The coroner had sought to have the prisolleY
brought before the jury. To obtain this he had written to
the Home Secretary, whose answer in effect was that he
declined to comply with the request. The medical evidence
proved that death was produced not by a rifle bullet, but
by the " muzzle stopper," which is formed partly of iron
and partly of cork, and placed in the muzzle of the rifle
to keep the interior of the weapon dry and clean. There
was no explanation as to how this came in the rifle after it
had been loaded, as it undoubtedly was, though by
whom could not be ascertained, and there was danger
of the rifle bursting by the stopper being in at the
time of explosion. The coroner had ordered an experiment
to be made as to the course a projectile would take when
fired from an Enfield pattern rifle, and it was shewn that
at a few yards' distance a shot would strike above the point
aimed at, the fact being that all these rifles are sighted, at
the minimum, for the distance of 100 yards. The evidence
of the deceased's friends shewed that there could be no
malice between the two young men ; and the coroner, in
summing up, remarked that it was hard to believe that if
the prisoner contemplated murder he would ask others to go
up and see him do it, and, moreover, it was just possible
for him to have killed the other young man. The coroner
further remarked that the crime seemed to be motiveless,
and there was not a tittle of evidence to shew that the
prisoner loaded the rifle. If, however, the jury thought
that the prisoner loaded the rifle with the idea of shooting
Moir, they must find a verdict of wilful murder against
him ; but if they thought he, in a spirit of mischief,
arising out of practical joking, pointed the rifle, and so
caused the death of the young man, though the doing of
such a thing might not have been in his mind, it would
be the duty of the jury then to return a verdict of man-
slaughter. The jury left the room, and after a short
deliberation returned a verdict to the effect that deceased
came by his death through a rifle being fired by George
Campbell, and that the accused was guilty of man-
slaughter.
The accused, George Campbell, was than brought
before Mr. Barker, at the Clerkenwell Police-court. On
the police-sheet he was described as. 23 years of age, and
an upholsterer by trade, residing at 42, Alfred street,
Barnsbury. He was charged with feloniously murdering
John Moir, aged 28, by shooting him through the heat
with a rifle-ball.