The Sun.
London, England, 1869-08-18 00:00:00

AFFRAY MITI! BELGIANS.

The Brighton Daily News reports a serious affray at
St. John's Common, between Belgians and English.
There are a large number of foreigners, principally
Belgians, employed in building the new nunnery at Ditch-
ling Common, and a kind of feud seems to have
existed between them and the English workmen in the
neighbourhood. There having been a club day among
the members of a Court of Foresters held at the King's
Head last week, a large party of the foreign
mechanics came over in the evening, but it was not
thought proper to allow them, on account of their be-
haviour, to go upstairs into the club-room. This seems to
have led to a disturbance, the foreigners drawing their
knives and making an indiscriminate attack on the com-
pany. The aggressors were bundled out of doors. Meet-
ing with a reinforcement, and arming themselves with
some sticks, they again forced their way into the house
and attacked the party. A terrific hand-to-hand fight
took place. While the fight was furiously raging, P.C.
Dives stepped in, and siding with his countrymen,
drew his truncheon, and knocked down six or seven
of the invaders in half as many minutes. The
Belgians, numbering between thirty and forty, fought
savagely, but their opponents were too skilful for
them, and not caring to give quarter, drove them before
them, until every one was fairly cleared off the Common.
This occurred between eleven and twelve o'clock at night,
and it seems that on their road home the foreigners met a
young man named Joynes, whom they sh:ma3fully
assaulted and ill-treated. The police are in possession of
the names of several of the ringleaders.

The Roman Catholic Bishops, under the presidency
of Cardinal Cullen, aro to assemble in Dublin to-day to
consult ou public questions.

The Scotsman reports that harvest operations have
begun in several districts in Scotland, and hitherto th.y
have been favoured with fine weather. The accounts to
hand are generally that the crop is a fair average.
The Bishops of the Irish Church are proceeding to
give eff2ct to their recent resolutions respecting the Church.
A synod of the clergy of the diocese of Limerick will he held
to-clay, and other synods aro also arranged. The Church
Commissioners will also hold their first meeting to-day,
and prom dto elect a secretary. The laity await with great
anxiety the action of the Bishop

The mails which Nv.,r supposxl to have been lost
in the recent wreck of the Germania off Cape Mom kayo
been entirely saved, and will bo brought by the Cimbria,
irhieli is expected at Plymouth on Friday. The specie
likewise has been nearly 1:11 recovered, and this has been
deposited in the Bank of St. John, New Brunswick, await-
ing salvage claim.

The di.putc in the building trade at Sheffield, which
has lasted for such a length of time, is now on the way to
an amicable settlement. The mayor has been instrumental
in arranging a conference. Tho Associated Master Builders
have now intimated to the mayor that they aro willing to
appoint six of their body to meet an equal number of the
operatives to discuss the disputed point. Tho men have
already offered to accept arbitration.

The Birmingham Horse Show opened at Bingley
Hall on Tuesday. Tho judging was confined to thorough-
bred stallion hunters and to hunters of different ages.
Tho first priz) for thorough-brods was given to Major
Barlow, of Woodbridge, Suffolk ; the first for hunters
15} hands high, equal to 15 stone, to Major Staplyton, of
York ; the first for hunters, 15i hands high (on condi-
tion as to weight), to Major Barlow, Woodbridge, Suffolk.
A new feature in the arrangements is that the judging is dis-
tributed over two days of the show, making the work lighter
for the judges, and not giving a monopoly of entertainment
to the ss. visitors. King Theodore's horse, with complete
trappings, is exhibited as an attraction. There aro a larger
number of entries than last year; and the show promises to
bo a success.

Ae Portglenone, county Antrim, the Liberal can-
date, Sir Shafto Adair, was cheered when ho said that there
was not a corner in Ireland in which the land question
was not uppermost. There was now, ho added, no differ-
ence between Irishmen on religious grounds, and the next
blessing would be a good land bill. Ho regarded the contest
in Antrim as a momentous one, as tenant-right was at stakes
" Tenant-right must be provided for by law; the tenant
must be secured in his tenure. Let the Government of Eng-
land give an assurance that such a bill would be passed, and
he believed bright days were in store for Ireland." The Go-
vernment were, hecontinued, pledged to bring in a land bill,
and the question he was putting to the electors was, Were
they in favour of it? There was no means, ho also observed,
of patting an end to the intimidation of tenant voters but lq
tlie ballet.

FEARFUL EXPLOSION IN SOUTHWARK

Late last night the inhabitants of St. George's-
road, Southwark, were thrown into a state of the
greatest excitement in consequence of an explosion,
resembling in noise the discharge of a piece of
artillery. Many persons at first imagined that
one of the fire-work factories, which abound
in the parish, had blown up, and fear-
ing that other explosions might probably
follow, they rushed out of their houses in
a frantic state. It was, however, soon ascertained
that the disaster had taken place in the manufac-
tory belonging to Mr. G. Clark, a dye maker,
carrying on business at No. 28, Pitt-street, a
thoroughfare running out of the before-men-
tioned road. From inquiries made it ap-
pears that the disaster was occasioned by
a bottle of nitric acid exploding, and such
was the force of the concussion that the factory,
which in some parts is two floors high, was blown
to pieces, walls were cast down as if they were
only made of pasteboard, and the dwelling-house
was only injured by the power of the explo-
sion, but, fortunately, none of the in-
mates were injured, beyond being much shaken.
The damage was not confined solely to Mr Clark's
premises, for the back kitchens of the private re-
sidences of Mr. 11. Pearse, No. 27, and Mr. J.
Carter, No. 28, in the same street, were broken ;
but, as in the first case, none of the residents were
hurt, but of course were terribly frightened. The
damage done at each by fire was inconsiderable.

The following appointments were made yester-
day at the Admiralty :—Sub-Licut. Thomas 11.
Simpkins, Sub-Lieut. James H. T. Chowne, and
Sub-Lieut. Elward J. P. Wade, to the Northum-
berland ; Dr. Charles F. K. Murray, Dr. Thomas
W. O'Sullivan, and Dr Joseph Wood, to the Duke
of Wellington, for service in Haslar ; Arthur V.
Smyth and Bernard Renshaw to the Royal Adelaide,
for service in Plymouth Hospital. The above
medical officers have been appointed on passing the
competitive examination recently held at Chelsea
Hospital.

Her Majesty's ship Malacca, Captain Oldfield,
left Rio de Janeiro on the 20th of une on her pas-
sage home.