The Sun.
London, England, 1860-11-28 00:00:00

EXTRAORDINARY SUICIDE AT THE

WAR-OFFICE.

Yesterday morning, at an early hour, an act of
self-destruction of an extraordinary character was
discovered to have been committed on the premises
of the War-office, adjoining the Ordnance Office, in
Pall-mall, under the following circumstances :—lt
would seem that amongst the employees engaged
on the premises of this department of the Govern-
ment was a man named George Stiller, who had
acted as messenger for some time past; he was 47
years of age, and much respected as a good ser-
vant. At a few minutes after midnight one of the
parties whose duty it is to inspect the premises at
night, proceeded to that part of the building
known as the Lower Book-room, and there to his
horror was found suspended from one of the
shelves of a large bookcase the unfortunate man
Stiller. An alarm was at once raised, and the
body was cut down, and every means used to re-
store animation, but without avail, and on the ar-
rival of Dr. Miller, of 27, Bing-street, St. James's
(who had been sent for and arrived in a few mi-
nutes), that gentleman declared life to be quite ex-
tinct, and gave his opinion that the man had been
dead some four or five hours. The peculiarity of
the unfortunate case is, that the deceased was
suspended by the meek with a very thin piece of
string, the other end of which was tied round one
of the shelves of the bookcase, and passed through
an opening at the back, used for the purpose of
brushing the dust out. Looking at all the circum-
stances the greatest determination seems to have
existed on the part of the unfortunate man in put-
ting an end to his existence. Information was yes-
terday morning forwarded to Mr. C. St. Clair Bed-
ford, the coroner for Westminster, and an inquest
will be held on the body at St. James's Workhouse,
Poland-street, where it was conveyed in the course
of the morning. At present no cause can be as-
signed for the commission of the act.

THE FRENCH INSTITUTE.—The Rev. W. Cureton,
D.D., canon of Westminster, and rector of St. Margaret's,
Westminster, the eminent Orientalist and Syriac scholar,
has been elected a foreign member of the French Institute,
Academie des Inscriptions et Belles Lettres, in the room of
M. Lobeck, of Konigsberg. M. Lassen, of Bonn, has also
recently been elected a foreign member of the Institute, in
the room of Professor Horace Wilson.
DEPARTURE OF THE COURT FROM WINDSOR.—

According to the present arrangement, her Majesty the
Queen, the Prince Consort, and Royal family, will leave
Windsor Castle for the Isle of Wight either on Wednesday,
the sth, or Thursday, the 6th proximo. The Court will
remain at the Isle of Wight about a fortnight, and then re-
turn to Windsor for the Christmas holidays. It is expected
that before the Empress of the French takes her departure
from England, her Majesty will pay a visit t• the Queen,
either at Windsor or Osborne ; but, as the Royal visit must
necessarily be of a private character, it will most probably
take place at Osborne.
THE LATE MARQUIS OF ANOLESEA.—A statue to
the memory of the late Marquis of Anglesea, the result of
public subscription, was on Saturday last raised on the
column already erected on a commanding site in the Isle
of Anglesea, opposite the great tubular bridge over the
Menai Strait. The column itself, 100 feet high, was
erected after the campaign of Waterloo, as a memorial of
the late Marquis's military achievements, and is on the
summit of a rock 250 feet above the level of the sea ; so
that, with the statue superadded, the entire monument is
upwards of 360 feet above the sea level, and is now a con-
spicuous object for many miles round.
THE EMPRESS OF THE FRENCH.—The retirement
of M. Fould is due to the impossibility of his continuing to
be received at the Tuileries. These are the facts :—On the
death of the Duchess of Alba, M. Fould refused all official
participation with the Court, and nothing in the funeral
cei emony recalled the near relationship of the deceased to
the Ruler of France. The Duo d'Alba complained to the
Empress, who, in extreme anger, said she would never
more receive M. Fould or any one of his family. The Em-
peror replied, " All very well ; but as a Minister you must
receive him." The answer was, "Then I will henceforth
receive no Minister." Since her Majesty's return she has
received no Minister. But M. Fould discovered, or thought
he had discovered, a manner of Ultramontaneplot in favour
of the Pope, at the head of whiehhe thought fit to place the
Empress. The consequence of all this was scenes of the
stormiest description. ller Majesty left for Scotland, and
M. Fould has yielded his place to Count Walewski. No-
body believes, however, that M. Fould's influence is lost,
for he has underhand connections with the party of the
Princess Mathilde, who is just now very influential.—
Manchester Guardian.

INUNDATIONS IN YORKSHIRE.—The recent heavy
rains have caused the Derwent and its tributaries to over-
flow their banks, and on Friday and Saturday the vast tract
of country watered by that river and the smaller streams
was laid under water. In many places the waters rose to a
height of four feet, and even more, the hedges having for
miles quite disappeared. The consequences of the inunda-
tion will prove most destructive to the lowland farmers,
the unusually rainy season having already done much in-
jury in retarding the sowing of the wheat crop, which will
now be rendered quite impossible. Many thousands of
acres will thus be thrown under spring crops. The after-
math in the grass lands will be quite spoilt by the deposit
of sand and mud, and the cattle will now be totally depen-
dent upon the scanty root crops. Several stooks are
floating down the stream, one farmer alone being said to
have lost upwards of 20 acres of oats, In the marshes se-
veral beasts are reported as having been found drowned.
PRICE OF GOLD.—The quotation of gold at Paris
is about 1 per mule premium, and the short exchange on
London is 25.171 per £ sterling. On comparing these rates
with the English mint price of £3 17s. 101 d. per ounce for
standard gold, it appears that gold is about 1-10th per
cent. dearer in Paris ithan in London. By advices from
Hamburg the price of gold is 424 f ner mark, and the short
exchange on London is 13.41 per sterling. Standard gold
at the English mint price is, therefore, not quite 1-10th per
cent. dearer in Hamburg than in London. The course of
exchange at New York on London for bills at sixty days'
sight is about 107 to 1071 per cent., which, when compared
with the mint par between the two countries, shows that the
exchange is against England ; but, after making allowance
for charges of transport and difference of interest, the pre-
sent rate leaves no profit on the transmission of gold be-
tween the two countries. The exchange market at New
York was very unsettled at the time of the last advice.
leaving, and even lower quotations than the above are
given for some descriptions of paper.
SUCCESSFUL EXTRACTION OF A RIFLE BALL FROM
TEE HEAD OF A CRIMEAN VETERAN.-Mr. Ferguson, her
Majesty's Veterinary Surgeon in Ireland, recently extracted
a bullet from the head of a brown charger, received at the
battle of Balaclava. It had entered the forehead between

the eyes. The external wound shortly healed, but occasion-
ally there was a fetid discharge from one nostril, always
preceded for some time by a whistling noise in accelerated
breathing. In the course of time ono side of the face
swelled, as frequently observed in cases of glanders and
farcy, and the upper lip became partially paralysed. Mr.
Ferguson extracted the ball through the nostril of the
affected side, to accomplish which he made a passage for its
exit tbrongh some of the thin bony structures within the
nose. The paralysis of the lip rapidly disappeared, as did
also every other symptom of disease and inconvenience to
the animal.

MISS AYLWARD IN PRTSON.—This Roman Catho-

lic heroine lives on the fat of the land, and holds her 'evens
of friends in Grangegorman prison. Even Dr. Cullen has
paid
his
devoirs to her martyrship, and while he condemns
kidnapping in his pastorals, sympathises with the kidnap-
perin her pleasant confinement. No doubt Miss Aylward
and her numerous company of consoling priests laugh at the
mockery of her nominal punishment, and look to the joyous
passing away of the six short months of cor gratulati?ns and
compliments. But we ask, what has been done with the
impounded documents, which the Lord Chief Justice said
were, or should be, handed over to the Attorney- General,
that he on his part may eater proceedings for a combination
or conspiracy to make away with the child? Are no fur-
ther steps to be taken to enforce the production of the child. ?
Are all kidnappers to escape after the manner of Mu.
Martyr Aylward,—Eveniteg Packet.

ELECTION INTELLIGEACE.

SOUTHWARK.

Yesterday evening a meeting of the friends and
supporters of Mr. A. H. Layard was held in the
Temperance-hall, Mill Pond-bridge, Bermondsey,
for the purpose of hearing the enunciation of that
gentleman's political principles.
Mr. MEEK was unanimously called to the chair,
and expressed his belief that if Mr. Lai and were
elected he would give them entire satisfaction.
(Cheers.)

Mr. LAYARD came forward and was well received.
His friend had called him their member, and he
hoped the result some ten days hence would verify
his prognostication. He was surprised to see, by
a speech that had been reported of Mr. Scovell's,
that he had asserted that he (Mr. Layard) had been
brought forward by a clique. Now, from the en-
thusiastic meetings he had attended he could only
say that if he were brought forward by a clique,
the cliques:of Southwark were very different from
those of other places. He then disclaimed having
said anything derogatory to Mr. Scovell on Satur-,
day last, but, on the contrary, had spoken of him
in the highest terms of respect. He commented
with some severity on Mr. Scovell's putting forward
a letter in which another gentleman, who had
retired, had handed over those who would have
promised to vote for him. He would scorn to do
that, but would ask the electors to vote only ac-
cording to their own consciences. (Hear.) He
had certainly met with many friends in Bermond-
sey, but he had met with one whom he could not
always depend upon. He referred to Punch, who
had come to his assistance, and had threatened
Southwark that if they did not return him he
would reduce the borough to that state in which
he (Mr. Layard) had found Nineveh. (Laugh-
ter.). He could only say that if that event
did take place he would come and dig them
out. (Renewed laughter.) Now he was what
was termed an independent member, and in stating
that he would say that nearly every great question
that had been carried in Parliament had been origi-
nated and carried by those who were stigmatised as
" independent members." (Cheers.) He might refer
to the laws which oppressed the Dissenters, the
Catholic emancipation, the Reform Bill, the Corn-
laws, and other such measures. He approved of
the conduct of the Government in their measures,
one of the most important of which was the treaty
with France, the result of which would show that it
was better to have treaties with peoples instead of
with Governments. (Hear, hear.) He was an advo-
cate for retrenchment and economy, and that was
to be effected by having our foreign policy
placed upon a different footing. The vast sums that
were spent in keeping up large armies and navies
arose from the treaties being made with cliques
and kings instead of with peoples. (Cheers.) The
taxes of this country were very great, and large
sums were extravagantly expended, but he regretted
to see that the system of retrenchment generally
commenced at the bottom instead of the top, and
the persons who felt the effects of it first were the
poor clerks with salaries of £BO a year, instead of
commencing at the head of the list—those who had
£BOO and £l,OOO a year. (Hear, hear.) He felt
that the present Government were proceeding in
the right direction, and the only black spot in their
administration was the Reform Bill. He believed
that that bill could have been passed—(hear, hear)
—and he hoped that during the next session a
strong and practical measure of reform would be
passed. (Hear.) Having canvassed the con-
duct of the various members, he called upon the
electors of Southwark to show that the borotigth
could carry an immaculate election by returning
a member independently of any considerations of
pecuniary influence. He concluded by expressing
his readiness to answer any questions that might
be put to him.
Mr. LAYARD, in reply to various questions, said
that he was for the equalisation of the poor rate,
and also for the reform of the Bankruptcy Laws.
He should have voted for the bill brought in had h•
been in Parliament.

On the motion of Mr. GALAGHER, seconded by
Mr. HICKMAN, a vote of confidence in Mr. Layard,
and pledging the electors to support him, was car-
ried unanimously.
A vote of thanks to the chairman closed the
proceedings.
Mr. LAYARD also addressed a crowded meeting of
the electors at the Ragged School, Russell-street,
Bermondsey, last evening, and was most enthusias-
tically received—resolutions of confidence and sup-
port being unanimously passed.