The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-16 00:00:00

111E7 ROPOLITAN GOSSlP—Friday.

Contrary to the expectations of the Conservative party,
they have succeeded in retaining their seat in South
Derbyshire, after a contest of the usual severity. There
are two incidents in connection with this election which
are worth mentioning. The first is that the Times has
ignored it. It ignored the Wareham election, presumably
for the same reason—because it was won by a Con-
servative. Little interest was felt in the little Dorset-
shire borough, but the very strongest interest was
felt in the important midland county, and I can see neither
fairness nor wisdom in suppressing all mention of an event
which every politician anticipated with much eagerness.
It can scarcely be good policy for a journalist to drive his
readers to seek for their news in other journals than his
own. The second incident is that Canon Gregory's
ab,s,ence from the election of the new Bishop of
London was due to no dislike of Bishop Jackson, as some

persons may suppose, but to the fact that he went to
South Derbyshire to support Colonel Wilmot. The Canon
has been one of the most zealous supporters of the Con-
serv:Jive party in the division, and at the general election
of last year, when the High Church party were resolving
to withiTold their support from Mr. Rowland Smith on
account of his ultra-Protestant views, Mr. Gregory urged
them to support Mr. Smith, and materially helped to
carry that gentleman's election. In 1359 Mr. Gregory
rendered a sign.d service to his party. He pulled just
before five o'clock, and as Mr. Mundy won by only one
vote, his return may be said to be due to the Canon's
help.

I am told that in all probability Mr. Birley, the Con
servative candidate who was returned at the head of the
poll for Manchester, will be unseated, in consequence of
his being a partner in the firm of Mackintosh and Co.,
which has contracts with the Government. Should Mr.

Birley be able to arrange matters so as to offer himself
again, he will have a hard fight, for he will not, as he had
on the previous occasion, the minority clause in his
favour. The local Conservatives look to the divisions
which have broken out among the Liberals as their only
chance of success. One party wishes to return Mr.
Milner Gibson, who was with Mr. Bright defeated in 1857 ;
the other party consider that Mr. Ernest Jones, the
defeated Liberal candidate in November, has prior
claims. The Windsor election petition has terminated as
everybody expected. Mr. Eykyn retains his seat. The
case against him was, indeed, so weak that Colonel
Gardner abandoned the petition, and will have to pay all
the costs.

An attempt is being made in very influential quarters to
start a third party, which shall make ecclesiastical rather
than political matters the primary subject. The idea is to
unite the Conservative and the Liberal supporters of the
Church, with a view to resist any attempt to alter the
status or to divert the revenues of the Church. From
what I hear the attempt is not likely to succeed.
The Home Secretary, in his address to the electors
of Renfrewshire, has pronounced in favour of the Ballot.
This is a very important circumstance, since hitherto Mr.
Bruce has always opposed this measure, and his opposition
to it is recorded in Dod of last year. This conversion will be a
bonne bouche for the supporters of the Ballot, who muster
to-night in large force. They will shortly hold a great
meeting at the Free Trade Hall, Manchester. Mr. Bruce's
return for Renfrewshire is considered safe.

A private letter from Rome mentions that the writer
and about seventy other persons were presented to the
Pope on Sunday. His Holiness gave " a very excellent
short sermon." The ceremony lasted about fifteen
minutes.

The four sculptors engaged on the great Albert Memorial
in Hyde Park, which I mentioned in a former letter would
cost 2190,000, are Messrs. 111`nowell, Foley, Theed, and Bell,
who take respectively Europe, Asia, Africa, and America.
Each sculptor gets £3,000, and they all complain that they
will be out of pocket.

I would commend to your notice the new magazine
Under the Crown, which made its appearance a few days
ago. It is published by Groombridge, and contains some
really excellent writing by first-class men. Mr. F. T.
Palgrave describes a journey which he made to Portugal,
together with Mr. Tennyson, nearly ten years ago. Mr.
Maclean, F.S.A., begins a biography of Sir Thomas
Seymour, brother of Henry VIII.'s queen. A story
entitled " Little France " is told jointly by Chas. Ross
and A. Clarke. Mr. W. R. Greg has one of his able
papers on social economy. Consul Cameron has some
spirited verses on Magdala, and there are other
good articles by less known writers. The staff
is strong, but the illustrations are weak. Earl Russell's
letter on Ireland will be out in a few days. While
on literary matters, I may mention that Mr. Henry
Frith, of the War Office, is the author of the verses
on Gibraltar v. Ceuta in this week's Judy ; and that
" Delta," who is advertising for a capitalist disposed to put
money in a Conservative newspaper, is the proprietor of a

newly-started daily paper in the far west of England,
which seems destined to a very brief existence.
The Continental news grows worse and worse. The
Conference is an utter failure. Napoleon is in a state of
wrath ; Lavalette is in disgrace. We now look forward

with anxiety to Napoleon's speech at the opening of the
French Chambers on Monday.—On the other side of the

Atlantic the Alabama question has made good progress

during the last few days, and once more seems near a

settlement.

NA VAL AND MILI7 ARY INTELLIGENCE,

The double-screw composite gun-vessel Lynx, 2,

Commander James W. East, left Plymouth, on
Wednesday for the West Coast of Africa. The
Fly, 4, Commander Hugh H. Knocker, was ap-
pointed to follow her yesterday.
The machinery of the gun-vessel Hart was tested
on Wednesday in the basin of the steam-yard at
Keyham.
The gunboat Clinker, tender to the Indus, was
placed in the wet slip at Devonport dockyard on
Wednesday to have her bottom examined.
Upon inspection of the bottom of the screw steam
frigate Liffey, 31, Capt. John 0. Johnson, now in
the dockyard at Devonport, it was found that
several sheets of her copper were injured.
Richard Connell, gunner on board the Cossack,
was tried by court-martial at Devonport, on Wed-
nesday, on a charge of drunkenness, and was sen-
tenced to be dismissed from her Majosty's service.
Agreeably to instructions issued from the Horse
Guards by the Duke of Cambridge, the undermen-
tioned removals of detachments of Brigades of
Royal Artillery have been ordered to be
effected forthwith .—Nineteen gunners and two
❑on-commissioned officers of the 4th Brigade,
two non-commissioned officers of the 7th Bri-
gade, two non-commissioned officers of the 11th
Brigade, and four non-commissioned officers of the
Depot Brigade will proceed from the head quarters
of the 2d division of the Depot Brigade on the 16th
inst., to Shoeburyness, for the purpose of going
through a course of instruction at the School of
Gunnery. A detachment of 200 gunners and
drivers of the 3d -division are also to be removed
from Warley to Sheerness, on the 15th inst., to
reinforce the Ist division of the Depot Brigade,
which latter has been considerably reduced below
the authorised establishment, in consequence of the
numerous detachments of Royal Artillery lately fur-
nished by the division fur the different Indian, Pre-
sidencies.

The Sharpshooter, screw sloop, which is an un-
armoured and iron vessel, has been brought down
into Portsmouth harbour and placed in dock for

survey.

The Formidable, old sailing 84, late the flagship
of Vice-Admiral Sir Baldwin IV. Walker, K.C.8.,
Commander-in-Chief at the Nore, having under-
gone an extensive survey at the hands of the officials
connected with the master shipwright's department,
and a report of her condition being forwarded to
the Controller's Department at the Admiralty, the
intention to pass her over to the shipbreakers has
been abandoned, and she is now to be brought for-
ward as a training ship, and to be stationed at one
of the Scotch ports. The Formidable is well
adapted for the purpose for which she is intended,
and will require but a comparatively small amount
to be expended on her to fit her for the service.
The Cumberland, old 70-gun sailing two decker,
late the flagship of the steam reserve squadron at
Chatham and Sheerness, is to be removed from her
present moorings in the harbour to Stangate-creek,
in the Medway, to take her place with the other old
sailing and steam ships of the reserve, pending in-
structions from the Admiralty as to the ultimate
intentions respecting her. She is a fine roomy
vessel, with lofty 'tween decks, and would appear to
be well adapted for a hospital ship at one of the
foreign stations.

The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty:—Lieutenant Henry M.
Ommaney to the Duncan, Lieutenant Francis R.
Bromilow to the Victory, Sub-Lieutenant Richard
F. Hozlyn to the Rodney ; John Oliver, inspector
of machinery afloat, to the Minotaur ; and Alger-
non W. Winn, acting assistant-surgeon, to the
Cgunglega.