The Sun.
London, England, 1869-08-04 00:00:00

THE FATAL ACCIDEiI,7 O_N THE ALPS.

"Thomas White," writing from King's Lynn, gives
some details of the accident to Mr. Elliott on his way up
the Schreckjiorn. He was the last person who shook
bands with him. " 1 and two friends," says Mr. White,
" met the deceased and Mr. Phipps first at Engelberg,
having a common design upon Mount Tiflis. After (Brine'
Mr. Elliott's party preferred to push on over the Joch
Pass, with the view of shortening the next day's work,
by sleeping at the little inn at Engleten Alp ; but we
met about seven a.m., on the snowy top of Titlis, the
next morning. Mr. Elliott was in high spirits at being
again upon the snow, and told me he had left England in
very poor health ; but today,' he said, `I begin to live
again.' It was a glorious morning, and a vast expanse of
t nowy peaks and glaciers lay all around us, and he expressed
his wish to live upon them without going down into the
valleys again ; and he was full of fun, (specially when the
linen masks for the descent were again put on. However
he certainly seemed fagged. We dined together at
Englsten Alp, and afterwards supped and slept al
Imhoff ; and our party came to the conclusion that, is,
spite of Mr. Elliott's experience and ability as a climber.
he Lad been unwise to begin his work this year with so
long a climb as Titlis. On the following Monday our
party had been exploring the Grindelwald portion of the
Strahleck Pass, and being driven back by the rain, we eu •
countered Mr. Elliott's party again in the middle of tit:,
Eismeer, near the Zasenberg. We stopped and chatted
together, but I thought Mr. Elliott less cheerful than before.
Still, I bad no presentment of the awful calamity whici'
was in a few hours to happen. They were going to sleep it.
a cave called the Kastenstein, at the foot of the Schreckhorn,
so as to make an early start up that formidable mountain.
As to the accident itself, no blame probably attaches to
anybody. The snow had been for a fortnight in capita:
order, but just at its junction with the rocks there was
invariably a thin glazing of ice, produced by the greater
heat of the rocks causing the snow to melt for some part
of the day, to freeze again at night. - If Mr. Elliott was
fagged—as I have little doubt he was—from not having
got yet into good training, a false step would be very
likely, and of course without the rope would be fatal.
But Mr. Elliott's guide was a splendid fellow, and must be
exonerated from blame."

Peter Barrett, the London postman, charged
with shooting at Captain Lambert, has been committed
for trial. He was identified by a tradesman residing ir)
Tottenham-court-road as having bought the revolver fror
him a few days before the outrage.

Captain Coote, the High Sheriff of Monaghan,
has been superseded by the Lord Lieutenant, in come:
quence of not appointing another Sub• Sheriff after the
jury panel at the Spring Assizes had been quashed for
partiality.

The Annual Legislative Council of the British
United Order of Oddfellows is held this year at Newcastle-
on-Tyne, and commenced its sittings on Monday. In con-
nection with tho event a soiree and public meeting wero
held in the Town-hall, at which the Mayor presided, and
Mr. Headlam, the senior member for the borough, was
among the speakers.
THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES.—On their
return from Germany the Prince and Princess of "Wales
will occupy Gunton Hall, the seat of Lord Suffield, for a
short time. Lord Suffield is about to cruise in his yacht
in the Mediterranean, his lordship's health being some-
what indifferent.

The first time a man looks at an advertise •
ment he does not see it. The fourth time he thinks he has
seen something of that kind before. The eighth time he
ejaculates " Here's that confounded thing again !" The
fifteenth time he resolves to try it, as soon as he can
afford, and the twentieth time he frantically rushes out in
a fit of desperation and buys.

A Cork correspondent notices that an intima-
tion has been received that Mr. Childers and other mem-
bers of the Admiralty Board will visit Cork harbour, ac-
companied by the Channel fleet, in the last week of
September. The object of the visit is the inauguration of
the new basin and dock and liawlbowline. The fleet will
probably remain at Cork three days.
DECORATION OF THE STAR OF INDIA.—The
newly appointed companions of the Order of the Star of
India have been invited to a field day of their own to
receive the decoration. On Friday next, the Duke of
Argyll, as Secretary of State for India—departing from
the ordinary usage in the case of military and official
decorations— proposes to distribute them in person at the
India Office.

At the Ashton-under-Lyne Borough Court, on
Monday, an important decision was given respecting the
Work,hcp Regulation Act. Richard Garside, reed maker,
was cumin( ncql for employing a girl under eight years of age.
Mr. Sale, F. oh-inspector of factories, gave evidence, and it
was contra (led, on behalf of the defendant, that ho had no
authority f o interfere in the matter. The magistrate's clerk
held hat the sub-inspector was fully empowered by the
act to visit these works. The defendant was accordingly
fined.

THE PRINCE OF WALES AND THE SCOTTISH
FREEMASONS.—At a quarterly meeting of the Grand
Lodge of .Scotland, held in Edinburgh on Monday evening;
the Earl f Dalhousie, Most Worshipful Grand Master
Mason fo Scotland, moved that his Royal Highness th^
Prince of Wales be elected patron of the masonic craft in
Scotland, in succession to his Royal Highness's uncle, the
late King William IV. His lordship stated that he had
had an interview with the Prince on the subject, and that
his Royal Highness had expressed his willingness to accepf-
the proposed honour. The motion was cordially adopted,
THE LAW OF DIVORCE IN SCOTLAND.—A cor-
respondent calls attention to the fact that divorce, in a
case of refusal to cohabit, may be obtained in Scotland
after such refusal has been obstinate for the period of four
years, and upon noncompliance with an action for
adherence. This takes effect equally with regard to hus-
band and wife, and in theory must be regarded as a wise
provision, although it is hampered by the cumbrous divorce
process in the Scottish courts. The Scottish law places
husband and wife on a much more level footing than that
of England. In the latter country, while the husband can
procure a divorce from a wife on proof of a single act of adul-
tery, the wife must, in addition to adultery, prove cruelty
—physical cruelty in strict construction—although juries
have considerably widened the scope of the term. In Scot-
land, on the other hand, the wife requires to chew no such
addition to the wrong done her, and may obtain divorce on
proof of a single act of adultery.—London Scotsman.

A NEW OFFENCE.—Persons dealing with poul-
try will be surprised to find that the very common habit
of carrying birds head downwards is a punishable offence.
On Monday the Chatham stipendiary magistrate was
occupied in hearing a summons, which had been taken out
by order of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals, against James Russell for cruelty to three fowls,
by carrying them with their heads downwards. The
case, from its being the first of the kind, created
much interest. Evidence was given that the defen-
dant was carrying the three fowls through the street
by their feet, with their heads downwards, and that on
being remonstrated with he denied that he was causing
any pain to the birds, and refused to carry them in any
other way. Mr. Guise (the magistrate) raid there could
be no doubt that carrying fowls in the way described
caused them great and unnecessary pain. As, however,
the practice was a very common one, and it was the first
prosecution of the kind, he should inflict only the miti-
gated penalty of 2s. ed. and costs, or seven days' imprison.
ment. The defendant paid the penalty.

BERKSHIRE VOLUNTEER ENCAMPMENT. —On
Saturday last a very interesting competition took place in
the presence of Major Sir C. S. Paul Hunter, Bart.,
between Corporal Bambridge and fourteen picked men of
the battalion using long Enfield rifles, and three men using
Soper's direct-action breechloader. The targets were
similar to those used for file-firing, but only half the usual
size. Distance, 200 yards ; time, three minutes; each
party to fire as rapidly as they please. The scores were as
follows :--Enfield rifle : Ist squad cif five men, 84 points ;
2nd ditto, 94 ; 3rd ditto, 04 ; total, 272 points. Soper'/
breechloader : Sergeant Soper, 140 points ; private
Warrick, 138 ; Sergeant Gostage, 110 ; total, 388 points.
Majority in favour of breechloader, 116 points. It will
thus be seen that two men with the breechloader scored
six points more than the 15 men with theEnfield ; Private
Warrick having fired 18 shots in the first minute, 21 in
the second, and 17 in the third—making a total of 56 shots
in the three minutes ; and Sergeant Soper having scored
five bull's-eyes before a single shot was got off by th 4
squad opposed to him.

TEE CArTIVE BALLOON IN CIIANCEEY.—The
Captive Balloon, the wonder of the `Vest end of London,
scams to be a terror to those who live near it, and at
application Las been made to Sir Richard Malins, Vice
for an injunction restraining M. Gabriel
Von from inflating, or continuing in a state of
infla,Cou with gas, the balloon within the circular
rection, or from continuing to work or exhibit
it in the vicinity of the plaintiff's premises. The
Plaintiff lived on the opposite side of the road, which at
that part was 30ft. wide, and he apprehended danger
from articles falling from the balloon, from explosion, and
from the breaking of the rope, which was 2,000 feet in
length, and weighed two tons. For the defendant it war
contended that as the building was commenced eighteer
months ago, and no complaint made till June last, there
was acquiescence on the plaintiff's part. • There was nc
danger of the rope breaking again, and even if it should,
it must break at the bottom and pass away without do`:ng
any damage. After a short discussion, the matter _ vat
ordered to staud over.