The Sun.
London, England, 1869-05-26 00:00:00

LAW AND POLICE.

Docs' Etns.—At Hammersmith Police•court, on Tues-
day, two men were summoned by the Society for the
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals for cropping the ears
of a tezrier dog. Their defence was that the cropping
was intended to beautify the dog ; and Sir Edwin Land-
seer's " Dignity and Impudence," was produced in court
to sanction the practice. Sir Edwin was in court, how-
ever, and expressed his disapproval of the custom. The
magistrate fined each defendant and 2s. costs.

A LITERARY DIFFICULTY.—A case of considerable
interest to literary men has just been decided in the
Equity Courts. Vice Chancellor James has given judg•
anent in the case of " Pike v. Nicholas." These gentlemen
both competed for the prize offered by the National
Eisteddfod for the best essay on " The Origin of
the British Nation." They competed in different yearp,
and their works were subsequently pun-shed ; but Mr,

Pike, on seeing Dr. Nicholas's book, charged him with
having appropriated his facts and theories without
acknowledgment. After a long trial the Vicc-Chan-
calor decided in favour of Mr. Pike, granting
him an injunction to restrain the publication.
of Dr. Nicholas's book, awarding him costs in the snit,
and ordering the defendant to account for every cot y of
his book sold as if it had been a copy of the plaintiff's, and
to pay the plaintiff the profit which he would have
received from the sale of so many additional copies.
CHARGE OF ASSAULT.—The case against Captain Hunt,
of Boyton House, Wilts, who fought with the sheriff's
officers that went to arrest him, and fired atone of them, has
been dismissed,-on the ground that the evidence failed to
prove that the pistol was discharged with intent to shoot
the officer.

THE LORD-LIEUTENANT OF IItELAND.—It is
understood that their Excellencies the Lord-Lieutenant
and the Countess Spencer will leave Dublin about the
15th of June for London for a brief sojourn.

On Tuesday a deputation waited on the Bishop
of London, at London House, St. James's-square, in refer-
ence to the Sunday closing of public-houses, and to solicit
his lordship's assistance on behalf of the movement for
that object.

An autograph letter has, it is said, been ad-
dressed by M. Bismarck W Mr. Gladstone, introducing
his two sons, who are now on a visit fronfGermany. Mr.
Gladstone has invited the young gentlemen to stay with
him for some time.

A PRESENT FOR TEE SULTAN.—" M. Sala, a
celebrated coachmaker," says a Milan journal, " has com-
pleted a magnificent State carriage, ordered by the King
of Italy, and destined to be sent as a present to the Sultan.
Bronze lanterns of rare elegance, are attached to the corners
of the vehicle, and all the carved ornaments are of the
highest finish."

EMIGRATION. —The secretary of the British and
Colonial Emigration Society reports that through its
agency 1,643 persons have been assisted to leave this
country for the colonies, and that the carrying out of thi.s
work has exhausted the funds at the society's disposal.
Many pressing applications are now before the committee,
and an appeal is made for subscriptions to continue the
operations which have been so well commmenced.

A correspondent of the Independance Beige says
that the international horticultural exhibibition, now being
held at St. Petersburg, promises to be a great success. It
is held in a vast room used for the exercise of
troops in winter, and capable of containing 5,060 men at
exercise. In this covered Epace are arranged in parteires,
varied with fountains and cascades, the choicest and rarest
plants and flowers of Europe. England sends a very fine
collection of hot-house plane, our gardeners Meg especi-
ally triumphant with orchids. . .
THE PUBLIC HEALTIL—Last week the annual
rate of mortality was 21 per 1,000 in London, as compared
with 23 in ibirteen other large towns of the United King-
dom. The rates ranged from 17 in Birmingham to 33 in
Glasgow. In the metropolis 1,011 births and 1,281 deaths
were registered. The latter were less by 70 than the esti.
mated number. The deaths from zymotic diseases were
230, the corrected average number being 312. Three
persons died from smallpox, 22 from measles, 43 from
scarlet fever, 5 from diphtheria. 07 from whooping-cough,
7 from typhus fever, 12 from enteric fever, 4 from simple
continued fever, and 15 from diarrhea. Three persons
were killed by horses or vehicles in the streets. The
mean temperature during the week was 50 degrees, or 3'2
below the average. The entire range of temperature
within the seven days was 23'0.

CLTRIOSITIE3 OF CriIEMICAL _SCIENCE.—Au atom
of water sometimes makes a most extraordinary difference
in the properties of bodies. Thns, to give some more
familiar illustration, the addition of an atom of water t,
starch converts into sugar' the suLtrztetion of c.n atom of
water from alcohol converts it into ether. But perhaps
the_ most curious change produced by the removal
of an atom of water from a body has been recently
discovered by Dr. Matthiesen. Morphia, the well-
known active principle of opium, is commonly wiel
to allay vomiting, and very often performs the duty
very effectually. But when morphia Las been heated
with hydrochloric acid, and an atom of water has been
thereby removed, it is changed into the most active emetic
known. It is not necessary to swallow it to produce the
effect; a very small quantity introduced under the skin, or
even, it seems, spilt upon the hand, is quite sufficient to
produce vomiting, which, however, soon subsides, and
leaves no nausea afterwards. The new body introduced
into medicine has been named by its discoverer
EUMINI32hith.