The Sun.
London, England, 1856-03-25 00:00:00

CEN,SIURE ON BUSSLIN GENERALS.

A. letter from St. Petersburg of the 15th says :
" The Invalide Russe aenounces to day that the
Emperor,, having been informed that the battalions
which were sent from the divisi,,n of the depot of
the 6th corps d'arm63 in 18.5;, to complete the
troops in the Crimea. were not properly armed, and
were unfit to continue their march, published an er.ler
of the day on the subject on the 12th. In that document
the Emperor severely censures, let, Gen. Marine, who
commands the dept, for having neglected to superintend
the pr ,per execution of the orders given by his supe-
riors, by which negligence the troops were impeded in
their march ; and 2.11 y, Gen. Iron Brine, the chief of the
staff of all the reserver and depots, for having only in-
epected the said battalions in a very superficial manner,
previously to their departure from Moscow. The Tri-
bunal of War, after having decided the degree of cut.
[Ability and participa'ion in the defective equipment
of the said Lattalionist of the persons in command
of the depot division of the Gqi corpe•d'armee, wi 1
sentence them to the punishment prescribed by the
law. This announcement has prQduced a considerable
sensation in this city. For some time past remarkable
changes have been going on is the Russian army. Not
only will the uncomfortable helmets make way for the
French kepi, but the coats will be supplanted by the
poloukattan, a sort of frock imitated from the French.
The war has occasioned great changes in the arms as in
the general regulations. Toe ltussian soldier will still
preserve the long grey greatcat, wh:ch is a comfortable
dress, an protects him well'against the severity of the
climate ; a,,,d the Russian army is at present being
ganised alter the plan of that of Naplieon I."

DEPARTMENT OF THE CLERK OF THE HOUSE OF CoM.
MONS —Tile sa'ary of the ckrk of th',4 hou,e 2,0)0/. ;
that of the clerk assistant, 1,7501. ; that of the B.c,ttri
clerk assistant, 1,2501 There are four priocipatclerli
at average salari6s ot 9501.; six senior clerics, at avrrago
salaries of 897/. ; 12 assistant c!erks..at average salaiies
of 4741. ; 12 junior e!crks, at average salaries nt 162/. ;
and two accountants, at average salaries of 6051.—Civil
Service Gazette.
A NICE PAROCHIAL QUESTION.—In a north-country
question of parochial liability under the poor law, a
problem arises for Solution. A man and woman, con-
cerned in the matter, were at the altar, and a clergyman
was making them one flesh ; when having uttered tie
words—=

With this ring I thee wed,
the demon of rhyme seized hold of the bridegroom, and
prompted him to add the line
With this fist I'll break thy bead !
is reverence turned away in disgust ; and Landp,
went their way, and lived together as man wife.
But are they man and wife? Parish officers are divided
on the point, and the lawyers hope to be "called in."
—Gateshead Observer.
TRH EMPRESS AND HER ACCOUCHICUR.—If I am well
informed, the Empress s state of health is, upon the
whale, as favourable as the case admits of. She remains
exceedingly_ weak, but is gradually recovering from the
sufferings of' her confinement. It is rumoured that M.
Dubois is to receive 500;0001, not only for his services
hut to compensate him for the fearful anxiety of mind h;
underwent when it became inevitable that violent means
must be resorted to to bring about the birth. The poor
Empress for hours believed that every moment would be
her last, and never ceased recommending her soul to the in•
tercession of the saints; and this conviction upon his Im-
perial patient's part, of course doubled the responsibili-
ties and the nervousness of M. Dubois; consequently
itie
held that 20,0001. (the relative dearness of the two epochs
well considered, too), is no more than the equivaleet
in 1856, for the 10,0001. awarded in 1811 to his lather,
for his attendance upon the Epress Marie Louise. at
the birth of thejliing of Romem.—Paris Correspondent
of the Manchester Guardian.
THE EIGHTEEN INCH MORTAR.-14TVERP00L, March
24.—About eleven o'clock this forenoon considerable
sensation was created in Castle-street, in front of the ,
Town-hall, by the appearance of a very unusual proces-
sion. This consisted of a ponderous truck, drawn by 11
horses, on which was placed. a huge cast-iron mortar.
The dimensions of this gigantic piece of ordnance are of
unusual magnitude. It is of 18-inch bore, and is 7 feet.
6 inches in lengtb. The diameter of the mortar externally
is three feet nine inches, and across the trunnions at the
breech it measures six feet seven inches, and in its
finished state weighs 14:12 tens ; when cast, and before it
was turned or bored, it wei2lied 25 tons. This enormous
projectile engine is a beautiful casting, and in the opinion
of competent judges it reflects great credit ou the re-
sources and skill of Mes.rs. Foster and Co., of the Vaux-
hall Foundry. The truck containing the mortar was fol-
lovved by two large fist waggons, each drawn by 'two
horses and containing 20 shells cast for the 'Defter.
These are ponderous missiles, each 18 inches in diameter,
.and three inches thick at the hole for the fusee. The
mortar with. its 40 modicums of iron food were being
couveyed from the foundry to the Wapping Station of,.
the Lon 0J Railway •to--tny trans:
ferred to the Royal Arsenal at Woolwich. The metal of
I which the mortar has been cast is that known as charcoal-
iroie.aud was made at the Acidiao Iron Works, Nova
Scotia.