The Sun.
London, England, 1869-06-23 00:00:00

TUE ATTEMPTED ASSASSINATION IN ITALY.

The attempted murder of Major Lobbia remains an
extraordinary mystery, even for Italy. It is alleged that
the crime was instigated in order to get rid of the Major's
diiagreeable testimony in the affair of the Tobacco Con-
tract Scandal ; but there are difficulties in the way of this
theory. It is true that when this scandal first arose, the
Major produced in the Chamber of Deputies two
sealed packets, declaring them to contain proofs
of corrupt practices on the part of certain deputies, and
pledged himself to give up this evidence to a committee
of inquiry, if the Chamber would vote one. Since that
time his steps were constantly dogged by strangers, and
he received anonymous and threatening letters. But
these facts do not explain the affair. The inquiry which
Lobbia had asked for had been granted, the names of the
witnesses had been disclosed, and, in short, the Major had
done all that the corrupt deputies—if there are any—
had occasion to fear previously to the attempt. There was
nothing to be gained byputting him out of the way, for he
had already done his worst. The crime remains a mystery,
but it is a mystery which, greatly discredits the Italian
Parliament. As yet the facts respecting the corrupt
practices in connection with the tobacco monopoly
negotiations have not been disclosed, and public opinion
naturally paints them much blacker than perhaps they
really are. Some very high personages are popularly
accused.

The riots at Milan seem to have been an indignation
protest against this attempt. Eleven persons were arrested,
and three guards and a citizen slightly injured. Quiet
has, however, been restored, and several attempts to pro-
voke riots in other towns have failed.
THE GEZNIt.iL COUNCIL.

Austria has signified her intention of . allowing all the
bishops to attend the Council, and has communicated this
decision to Bavaria, advising her to do the sa.m(,. Mgr.
Fessler, Bishop of St. Hippolyte, near Vienna, and Chief
Secretary of the Council, arrived in Rome a day or twa

ago.

(From the Ang!o-American Times)

N}:W Yoinc, June 5

We have experienced one of the most ridiculcus
posi, it ns in a strike among the waiters in the hotels
for higher wages. At present their pay is $3O a
month, and they want $35. The Brevoort, the Al-
bemarle, the Gramercy Park, and the Union Place
Hotels have been obliged to give way, while the
Fifth-Avenue, the Clarendon, t'ae Astor, the St.
Nicholas refuse, and 309 waiters have struck, their
places being taken by my that could be got in the
highways and byways. The men belong to a trade
union numbering 1,800 members, and they are
powerful enough to kepp up the strike for .n inde-
finite period, in which they have been joined by the
coloured waiters. They bad a meeting on Wednes-
day, when a Conference Committee was voted down
by a large majority, as they thought the first steps
towards a compromise should come from the pro.
prietors. Even the bead waiters of the St. Nicholas
have joined the movement, and messages have been
sent to Philadelphia, Boston, and Albany for waiters,
while the boarders in some of the hotels had to go
out for breakfast to the restaurants. About 80 men
were secured by Mr. Borrow for his hotel at Long
Branch. The smallpox is on the increase at Black-
well's Island, and people along the shores opposite
the island have moved away. Rumours prevail as
to the progress of the disease, but the health officers
say it is decreasing in the public institutions, and
that there have been but few cases in the tenements.
We have had bad weather ; much rain, and great
variation in the temperature, which add to the death
return, and tell severely on the delicate,and was parti-
cularly unfortunate for the Jerome races, which took
place last Tuesday. Mr. Jas. Fisk (jun.) is as usual
in the courts on charges of libel against Mr. Bushell,
director of the Pacific Railway, and others. The
slander was contained in the complaint filed by the
Directors against the Erie Railroad Company. The
point of the defence was that Fisk cannot take as
against himself the libel against the Erie Corpora-
tion, and the Court has reserved judgment. The
President has pardoned George Myers, who has
been in Sing Sing for four months, under a sen-
tence to pay a fine of $250 for passing a counterfeit
$5 greenback ; as there is little chance of his earn-
ing the money in Sing
,Sing, he has been let out.
Concerning these pardons an interesting case is to
come before Judge Blatchford. You may remember
that the Dupuys, the whisky thieves; were par-
doned by President Johnson, shortly before he left
the White House, but before it could be brought
into effect General Grant succeeded, and revoked
it. The Dupuys have sued out a writ of Habeas
Corpus, and the question will be argued in _the United
States District Court whether President Grant
could legally set aside his predecessor's official acts
of clemency. The Grand Opera House closes to-
day, and other theatres will also soon do so for the
summer; the French piece Patrie was not the success
anticipated. In the fall, it is said, all the places of
amusement will open on a lower scale for admission.
Commodore Meade has recommenced proceedings
against those whom he alleges were instrumental
in confining him in a lunatic asylum in October,
1868, laying damages at $200,000. The case of
the Quaker City continues to be agitated. The
owners filed their answers to_ the libel on Monday,
denying that she was to be fitted out as a privateer.
On Thursday the owners renewed their application
for the release of the vessel, asserting their loss by
her detention to be $l,OOO a day. The matter is
to be brought by the district attorney before Judge
Blatchford, and it is thought that when the required
bonds are filed the vessel will be released. The
United States Marshal Barlow denies that the Arago
aided in conveying the Perit's filibustering expedi-
tion to Cuba, but he acknowledges that the latter
vessel did carry unarmed men as passengers, and
arms and ammunition as freight. This the Spanish
Consul thinks to be an admission in effect, not un-
like that made by the Lairds, as it concedes the
matter in dispute. The action at the-Bay, of Nipe