The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-12 00:00:00

Several engineers who were making some geolo-
gical researches near Auxerre (Yonne) discovered a few
days ago, in the arrondissement of Avallon, a fine coal bed.
It extends under several communes of the Yonne, as well
as under others in the neighbouring department of the
Cote d'Or.

AN EXCELLENT LAW.—By the ancient Law of
Hungary, a man convicted of bigamy was condemned to
live with both wives in the same house ; the crime was, in
consequence, extremely rare.

SACRED HARMONIC SOCIETY, EXETER-HALL.—
The first meeting this season of the Handel Festival Choir
will take place on Friday next, Dec. H, under the direc••

tion of Mr. Costa. Mozart's 12th Mass is selected for re-
hearsal by a choir of 1,600. Never perhaps has this noble
work been sung by so large a number of voices. The solo
parts will be sustained by Miss Chambers, Miss Lascelles,
Mr. Evans, and Mr. Patey.

EFFECTS OF A GALE.—The ship Prince Consort,
from. Liverpool to Melbourne, put into Portsmouth on Sun-
day, with loss of top of fore and main topmasts, yards, sails,
and all the gear attached, nizen topmast sprung, live stock
and fodder washed off the deck and lost, and one cabin pas-
senger, Mr. Adams, washed overboard and drowned. She
experienced a tremendous turricane in the Bay of Biscay
on the 25th ult., and end3avoured to reach Lisbon, but
encountered another gale, end was compelled to bear up for
Falmouth ; arrived off that place Dec.. 6th, but no assistance
offering, was obliged to run for Portsmouth, where she was
towed into harbour on Sunday.
RISE OF RENT ON HILL FARMS.—The Ayr Ex-
press chronicles a striking instance of rise of rent in the
case of some hill.farms in the parish of Carsphairn, belong-
ing to Major Clark Kennedy. They are in the holding of
one person, and during the current lease the rental has been
£5lO. They had been let separately, after a keen competi-
tion, at figures which slake a total of £1,003.
GARIBALDI IN HIS RETREAT.—A Turin letter in

the Siecle has the following :—" I have just seen a person
arrived from Caprera )rho has given me some details about
Garibaldi. The general has sent away all the aides-de-
camp who accompanied him, and has now with him only
his son and daughter, his friend Deideri, and his private
secretary, Basso. The mass of letters he receives from all
parts of the world is enormous, and some of them contain
strange propositions. Dr. Riboli, a distinguished physi-
cian of Turin, and a great partisan of phrenology, has

written to Garibaldi entreating him to allow his head to be
examined, remarking that he believes it to be one of the
best organised and the most remarkable known. A sad
event has occurred in the island. The son of the colonel
of the Italian Legion at Monte-Video passed some days on
a visit with the general, and as the colonel was an. old
friend and companion in arms of Garibaldi when in Ame-
rica, every attention was shown the young man. When
the moment for departure arrived, the latter seemed quite
in despair at the idea of leaving, and on entering a boat
which was to convey him to a vessel, he pulled out a pistol,
and before any one could prevent him, discharged it into
his breast. Garibaldi, hearing the report, hurried up, and

did all he could for his guest, who, however, expired in a
few hours. No other reason can be assigned for this rash

act than that the young man's enthusiasm for Garibaldi
was so great that he could not bear to be separated from
him."

LORD JOAN RUSSELL AND THE ITALIANS.—A few
Milanese, interpreting the sentiments of gratitude by which
Italy is actuated towards her illustrious advocate before the
Areopagus of Europe, have conceived the idea of promoting
a general subscription, to be extended to all parts of Lom-
bardy (without, however, excluding the rest of Italy), for
the purpose of offering to Lord John Russell, as a grateful
acknowledgment of his efforts for the national cause, a
statue in Carrara marble, the work of the distinguished
Milanese sculptor, C. Romaco. The figure symbolises the
" Conviction of Italian unity," and represents a beautiful
maiden in a sitting posture. On her arm she wears a brace-
let, on' which is graven the motto, " Italia Una," and her
eyes are intently fixed on the diadem which she holds be-
tween her hands, and on which are executed in relief the
armorial ensigns of the various territorial divisions:of Italy.
—Prospectus of the Milanese Coinnzittee.
THE BRADFORD INVITATION TO MESSRS. GLAD-
STONE, COBDEN, AND MILNER GIBSON.—A meeting of the
Council of the Bradford Chamber of Commerce took place
on Monday evening, for the purpose of conferring with the
deputation appointed at a mixed meeting, held in the Com-
mittee-room of St. George's-hall, on the 3d inst., on the
subject of inviting the three gentlemen abovenamed to
Bradford, to acknowledge their valuable services in con-
nection with the French treaty. H. W. Ripley, Esq., pre.
sident of the Chamber, was in the chair. The council
having agreed to accept the invitation given them by the
meeting held on the 3d, to take the initiative in carrying
into effect the resolutions passed at that meeting, resolved
itself into a committee, with Messrs. W. R. Haigh, E.
Kenion, Jas. Hanson, and A. Holden, the deputation. A
very long conversation ensued, and resulted in a resolution
to the effect that a requisition be draVenup,inviting Messrs.
Gladstone, Cobden, and Milner Gibson, to a public demon-
stration to be held at the earliest possible time in Bradford,
as the centre of the worsted district, and that the requisi-
tion be presented to all gentlemen interested in the trade
for signature. A sub-committee was appointed to draw up
the requisition, and obtain signatures thereto.
INUNDATIONS IN NOTTINGHAMSHIRE. The
heavy and continued rains which have fallen for the past
10 days in Notts, Derbyshire, and Leicestershire, have
caused the rivers Trent and Soar to overflow their banks,
and large tracts of land in the surrounding country are
now under water. In some places the cattle have had a
very narrow escape of being drowned, and the most active
exertions have had to be used to prevent such casualties.
' As it is, however, the consequences will be serious. Wheat-
sowing, and the sowing of other grain has for some time
been retarded through the moistness of the weather, and
now these operations must be delayed until the spring.
The meadows near Nottingham have been inundated to a
considerable extent. The waters have forced their way
into the cellars of several houses in A.rkwright-street and
other streets in that locality, some of which have been sub-
merged to the depth of several feet. Many of the tenants
who are suffering by the flood were engaged yesterday in
lading the water out of their houses, and, should the flood
become much higher, the lower districts of the town will
feel its effects, as well as those villages which are situated
on the banks of the Trent. The weather is serious in an-
other point of view, as threshing corn cannot be:proceeded
with, the dampness rendering it out of condition. An ex-
citing scene occurred yesterday at Wilford, near Notting-
ham. A fox near the village found his old quarters had
been so much damaged by the continued rising of the
waters, that he attempted to cross the Trent. A farmer
who was near the spot sent in his shepherd dog after the
fox, and the dog soon began to shorten the distance between
himself and reynard. The latter turned round, caught the
dog by the neck, and a fierce encounter ensued (the contest
being for several minutes equal), which ended, however,
in the dog bringing his enemy safe to land. The cattle
which were in the neighbourhood of the inundation are
either safely housed or placed upon higher ground, their
prior position having become exceedingly dangerous.
MISCELLANEOUS REVENUE.—The public accounts
for the last financial year disclose, as usual, the receipt of
some very miscellaneous, although at the same time substan-
tial, waifs and strays. Small branches of the hereditary
revenue yielded £4,744 ; House of Commons' fees, £47,015 ;
Home-office ditto, £1,416; Privy Council-office ditto,
£1,009 ; Office for the Registration of Joint-Stock Com-
panies, £4,932; fees and fines from police-courts, £10,902;
miscellaneous fees, £10,688; fees from public offices (Scot-
land), £37,214; ditto (Ireland), £4,767; Army and Ord-
nance, &c., extra receipts, £508,606; nayy old stores, &c.,
£421,223 ; receipts for old materials, &c , in the Office of
Works, £11,599; seignorage upon bullion purchased for
coinage at the Mint, £36,830 ; proceeds on the sale of books,
&c., at the Stationary-office, £12,485; proceeds of the sale
of surplus clothing, £84,499; productive labour of prisoners
in convict establishments, £13,066 ; London, Dublin, and
Edinburgh Gazettes, £20,430 ; conscience m0ney416,438 ;
abatement from salaries, £1,669; various casual and mis-
cellaneous receipts, £279,988, repaid by trustees of the
Ring of the Belgians, £38,000; unclaimed dividends,
£72,669 ; contributions from revenues of India for pensions,
&c., £60,000 ; ditto for proportion of expenses of China
consular establishments, £45,895 ; ditto on account of mail
service to India, £15,701 ; contributions from masters and
seamen of the merchant service, per Act 16th and 17th
Victoria, cap. 131, £14,658 ; savings on grants of Parlia-
ment and over issues repaid, £25,086. The conscience
money item appears to have been larger than usual, as in
1858-9 it was only £3,015 ; in 1857-8, £8,522 ; and in 1856-7,
£5,982.
THE COLLIERY EXPLOSION IN CUMBERLAND.—
The adjourned inquest on the bodies of the three men, John
Wales, Leonard Bell, and Joseph Beckett, who were killed
by the colliery explosion in Guslet-pit, 11,Iaryport, on Mon-
day, the 3d inst., was resumed on Monday last at Maryport.
Further evidence was given that more gas had been gene-
rated in the pit in the last three or four weeks than for
some time back. The deputy- overmen had remarked this
among themselves, but it did not appear that it had been
reported to the superior officers. Evidence was given that
no gas had been observed in the Robbery, where the ac-
cumulation which led to the explosion took plaee. One
witness said he considered the pit so fiery and unsafe that
he had left, and did not intend to go back. Mr. Dixon,
mining engineer, was called on behalf of the lessees of the
colliery to describe the ventilation, and gave his opinion
upon the occurrence. He said he was satisfied the ventila-
tion was good. He condemned the fastening up of the door
by Wales and Rogerson, as reported in Saturday's evidence,
as an error of judgment, though done with good intention.
He expressed his opinion that the working had become foul
from a large fall of coal between Saturday night and Mon-
day morning. It was still so foul that they were unable to
get at it. He thought the door was unimportant as regards
the ventilation of the Robbery. This evidence was con-
flicting with the opinion of the Government inspector, who
thought the door was necessary, so long as it was kept in
good order, for the proper ventilation of the Robbery, and
who also stated that the pit was at one time one of the most
dangerous pits he knew; a shaft had since been put in,
but the ventilation now was only adequate if the greatest
care and caution were observed. The jury retired for about
an hour, after which they returned a verdict, " that the
three m,n were killed by an explosion, but how that explo-
aion originated did not appear,"