The Sun.
London, England, 1869-04-01 00:00:00

MAIL CONTRACTS.

The committee appointed to inquire into the contracts
entered into by the Postmaster-General with Messrs.
Cunard and Co., and Mr. W. Inman, for the conveyance
of mails from this country to the "United States, have
issued their report with commendable promptitude. The
committee was only appointed on the 16th inst. , and on. Wed-
nesday morning the report was published, together with the
evidence, and a number of documents, extending to nearly
200 pages. The committee are of opinion that, con-
sidering the already large and continually increasing means
of communication with the United States, there is no longer
any necessity for fixed subsidies for terms of years in the
case of this service; and having regard to the fact that a
weekly service had been carried on by Mr. Inman in 1868,
in consideration of receiving the sea postage only, to the
difficulties which these contracts would for eight years
throw in the way of any great reduction of postage, and
to the express power of disallowance by the House of
Commons contained in the contracts themselves, they
recommend that the contracts with Messrs. Cunard and
Mr. Inman's company be disapproved, compensation being
made, if necessary, on the basis of the contracts for ser-
vices already performed in the present year. In the
course of the inquiry, Messrs. Burns and Inman stated
that they had not understood Clause 24 of their con-
tracts as rendering the contracts liable to be disapproved
by Parliament for any cause except want of good
faith, or dishonesty in the parties contracting ; and in
this belief they had entered upon the contracts, and had,
since the Ist January, been working under its provisions
at considerable expense and loss. While refusing to re-
cognise the accuracy of this reading of the clause, the
committee admit that some hardship and inconvenience
may have resulted from the delay which has oc-
curred in submitting the contracts to the consideration
of Parliament, and the committee therefore recommend
that an option should be given to the contractors of con-
tinuing the contracts for a shorter period. But, to avoid
similar difficulties in the future, they also recommend that
all contracts of this nature should be considered by the
Government, and brought before the House of Commons
in the spring rather than in the autumn of the year pre-
ceding their expiration.

The Cork Examiner states that the attack on the
house of the Magillicuddy of the Reeks, near Killarney,
when that young gentleman was fired at, but not
wounded, is believed to have been in no sense agrarian,
but a case of intended robbery.

On Wednesday an order, printed by order of • the
Commissioners of Police, was read to the men at every
station of the force, to the following effect :—" Beards and
Idcustach. s.—The Metropolitan Pol:ce will in future be per.
mitted to wear beards and moustaches." The "order" was
received with general satiafactiou by the men.

LONGFELLOW.—Mr. Longfellow is still in Naples,
The climate agrees with him so well that he intends to
stay longer than he had anticipated. It was his intention
to hare gone to Sicily, on a visit to an old friend, M.
Monti, United States Consul at Palermo, formerly a pro.
fessor in the Havar•l College. Boston, and who is men-
tioned as the Sicilian Boy in the poem of the " Wayside
Inn." The rough weather of the last few days has pre-
vented Mr. Longfellow undertaking this journey for the
present, if he has not abandoned it altogether. He intends,
also, to visit Ancalfi, Sorrento, Capri, and Ischia.
A contemporary says a serious difference has
arisen between the Marquis do Banneville, the French Am-
bassador at Rome, and the Marquis de La valette. The Mar-
quis de Banueville complains that the Minister treats him
more as a sub-secretary than an Anibassalor, and he has
written to the Emperor to request either that his position
may be better defined or that he may be recalled. The
Liberal party in Rome declare they have positive informa-
tion that Italy has joined France and Austria in a treaty of
alliance, and that one of the covenants provides that "the
status quo shall be maintained at Rome till the death of Pius
IX., when Rcme shall be declared the capital of Italy.
A conference on the licensing system has been
held in the Manchester Town Hall, under the auspices of
the License Amendment League. Resolutions were
passed in favour of a general scheme of license reform,
and of lessening the facilities for procuring licenses, and
a memorial embodying the opinion of the meeting was
adopted. There was some opposition, and several amend-
ments were proposed, but they were directed rather
against the formation of a new association, when, as was
alleged, the ground was already covered by existing
societies, than against the views expressed in the reso-
lutions.

A NEW RAILWAY PASS.—A conductor's duty
on the Pacific Railroad involves certain personal risks
peculiar to the far %V est. A gentleman who has recently
passed over the road relates a scene he witnessed in one
train. The conductor told a rough-looking traveller that
he wanted his fare. " The you do," was the only
answer. The conductor persisted. " Wall here's my
pass," said the traveller, presenting a heavy revolver at
the official's head. Another huge fellow interposed at
this point, presenting a pistol to his fellow•passenger's
temple, with a menacing look. " None of that stranger,
fair play, shell out." This settled the matter, and the fare
was paid.—New York Tribune, March 17.

A BITTER DISAPPOINTMENT. - The secretary to
the municipality of Florence, M. Soletti, who is partial to
trying his luck in the lotteries, sent one of his men a few
days ago to put 201. on certain numbers of a quartern
to which he had taken a fancy, but the messenger forgot
his commission until the offices were closed. Next
morning M. Saletti, on his way to business, saw the
figures which he had selected posted up as having
gained a prize of 1,200,000 f. In his joy he announced the
good news to his acquaintances, including the mayor and
Count de Cambray-Digny, who warmly congratulated
him. On reaching his bureau he rang the bell and asked
for the receipt from the person whom he had charged to
place his money. The latter, in a dreadful state of agita-
tion, was obliged to confess that he had forgotton to
execute the order he had received. The revulsion of
feeling experienced by M. Saletti at seeing his hopes of
being a millionaire destroyed cannot be described.

THE AUSTFAU4N MEAT-PRESERVING COMPANY.
—The Melbourne Meat-Preserving Company lately
afforded an additional and most convincing proof of the
success of their process in preserving meat and rendering
it capable of withstanding not only the effects of time, but
the influence of the warmest climate. In response to the
invitation o! Mr. Caldwell, a number of gentlemen, in-
cluding seve. al of the leading merchants of the city,
assembled at the conTany's premises for the purpose of
inspecting the opening of a case of preserved meat, which
bad been allowed to remain four months in the
furnace-room attrched to the works, where the tempe-
rature on rn rve age was at least 110 degrees.
The case containing the mutton was composed
of gin. deal bear s a cure:3,- fastened, and about three
feet by one foot in im •I T,ie meat, prepared in the
usual manner, wrr p'a,:ed in these cares, and when packed
a quantity of licin •a wa p,ured in until the cases were
completely filled. TLey were then nailed down, and placed
in the furnace-rth m. When op re,l, the temperature
appeared to have lad but lilt e ( ff...et upon the meat.
The fat resembled soft w. x en the su but was quite
firm at the depth of ab,,ut as itch. 'lh.! meat was then
taken out, and a porron of it prepared for luncheon.
When dressed it was found nos : de 'c'otti and savoury,
all present expressing the m p satisfaction with
the result of the exper; ent )!igst those present were
Commissary-General Hu r -, Al icrman Cohen, Mr. Keen
(of Messrs. Beep Brof, tr ), Mr,_ g.Farlaiet and otialrsi
rifilbettras Arose