The Sun.
London, England, 1860-12-05 00:00:00

A marriage between M. Vanderstichelen, Minister
of Public Works in Belgium, and Mdlle. Rogier, daughter
of the Belgian Minister at the Court of the Tuileries, is to be
celebrated in Paris towards the end of the present month.
The Count de Syracuse intends to take up his
residence at Florence.

Lord and Lady Huntingfield have left the St.
George's Hotel.

Lord and Lady Egerton (of Tatton) are receiving
a succession of visitors at their seat is Cheshire.

Lord De Lisle and Dudley has left the St.
George's Hotel.

Lady Molesworth has returned to London, from
Paris. Her ladyship will leave town in a few days, on avisit
to the Earl and Countess of Cork, at Marston House.
Wo are informed that Sir Baldwin Walker has
resigned the office he has so long held as Surveyor of the
Navy, and will probably accept the command of a foreign
station.

Some of the journals state that Baron de Roths-
child is negotiating for the purchase from the Count do
Chambord of the forest of Vassy. This is the last portion
of the property held by that prince in France, with the ex-
ception of Chambord.

The number of emigrants who embarked at
Havre for transatlantic countries during the month of
November amounted to 1,044, of whom 725 went to New
York, 242 to New Orleans, and 77 to Buenos Ayres.

RESTORATION OF SEBASTOPOL.—A set of very
powerful sheers, worked by steam power, and adequate to
lift the largest class of marine boilers and machinery, is in
course of construction by Messrs. Jackson and Watkins,
at the Canal Ironworks, Poplar, for the use of the port of
Sebastopol.

DOG STEALERS.—A couple of " professionals"
were sentenced yesterday, at the Clerkenwell Sessions, to
a year's imprisonment, for having in their possession a dog
which,they said they " found" accidentally.
DENT V. DENISON.—This case terminated in
the Court of Probate last night. The jury found a verdict
for the plaintiff; but they stated that they believed Mr.
Denison had reasonable grounds for disputing the cancel-
lation of the will. Administration was then decreed to the
plaintiff.

INCENDIARISM.—At the Maidstone Assizes two
soldiers, named Holloway and Hastings, were sentenced
to transportation for life, for setting fire to a barn and three
wheat stacks, at Gillingham.

CONVEYING SPIRITS INTO PRISONS.—A young
woman, named Aubrey, was yesterday fined by the magis-
trate at the Southwark Police Court £3, for secretly con-
veying a small bottle of gin into the Queen's Prison.

THE REFORMATORIES.—A man, named Bailey,
residing in Jerusalem-court, Clerkenwell, was yesterday
committed to the House of Correction for 14 days, for
refusing to pay towards the support of his two children at
the Red-hill Reformitory.

MIDLAND RAILWAY COMPANT.—It is said to be
a fact, that the proposal recently referred to as having been
addressed by the Midland Railway Company to the Lanca-
shire and Yorkshire is tantamount to an absolute amalga-
mation. The object is apparently to arrange a direct com-
munication through the Midland and manufacturing
districts independent of the London and North Western
Railway. It may require some time, however, before
negotiations of so much importance can be satisfactorily
settled.

The Rectory of Ulcombe, near Maidstone, has
become vacant by the death of the Rev. Samuel Mence,
8.D., formerly fellow and tutor of Trinity College, Oxford,
who was instituted in 1838. The benefice, which is worth
£l,OOO a year, is in the gift of the Hon.
C. H. Butler-
Clarke, Wandesford.

REPRESENTATION OF WEST SUSSEX.—Yester-
day's Gazette gives notice that the Speaker's warrant for
a new writ for th e election of a member in the room of the
Earl of March, elevated to the peerage, will be issued at
the expiration of fourteen days from the 3d inst.

THE CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY. —The Mayor of 1
Southampton has recommended that Monday, the 24t)'1
inst., should be kept as a general holiday, in order to g4.ve
shopkeepers and their assistants three clear days' holiay,
viz., Sunday, Monday, and Christmas-day.
Loss OF SEVEN LIVES ON THE EAST COAST.--
A fishing lugger came into Great Yarmouth harbour yes-
terday with seven of her crew missing. The poor fellows
perished in a rather heavy gale, which blew off the east
ooast on Sunday night.
MARRIAGE WITH A DECEASED WIFE'S SISTER.—
The late respected Duke of Norfolk, when in the House of
Commons, voted in favour of legalising marriage with the
sister of a deceased wife, and spoke in its favour in the fol-
lowing terms :—" Seeing that it was not against the law of
God, seeing the great social evils which arose from the re-
. .

striction, and believing that there was no comparison be-
tween the social advantages and the social disadvantages
arising from this cause, he should give the measure his
cheerful assent," The late Baron Bunsen bore testimony
before the Bishop of Lichfield and the other royal commis-
sioners to the frequency of such marriages in Prussia, and
to the desirable consequences which aro admitted by the
most eminent men in that country to result from them.
MITRE ASSURANCE ASSOCIATION.—In the
Bankruptcy Court yesterday there were some further pro-
ceedings of a remarkable character in the case of the Mitre
Assurance Association. There was a great deal of fencing
on the part of one witness (Mr. F. P. F. Strousberg) in
connection with the attempt on the part of the assignees to
discover the whereabouts of Mr. Brydges, the Secretary,
and of Mr. Latham, whose post is described aip that of "a
kind of office director, or in-door superintendent." Mr.
Strousberg admits that shares were repeatedly transferred
to the office porter. The proceedings were adjourned. The

examination of Mr. Edwards, the company's solicitor, with
respect to the books, is appointed for the 13th inst.
COLLIERY EXPLOSION IN CUMBERLAND.—On
Monday morning an explosion took place in a coal pit at
Maryport, Cumberland, worked by Capt. Harris, by which
it is supposed that three men have been killed. It appears
that it is customary to send a staff of men called " overmen"
into the pit at the beginning of the week, before the col-
liers go down, to ascertain that all is right. On Monday
morning about half-a-dozen of the "over-men" had gone
down, a little before 4 o'clock. At 4 o'clock a great explo-
sion was heard. Some of the "over-men" made their way
to the pit's mouth soon after, when it was found that three
at least of the men who had gone down were missing. All
those who had escaped had felt the effects of the explosion,
but having been in distant shafts had happily sustained no
injury. Search was immediately instituted, as far as prac-
ticable, for the missing men, but the " firedamp" r revented
much progress. About 9 o'clock the body of one man was
recovered. He had been blown a considerable distance, and
his head was severed from the trunk. Every effort is being
made to ascertain the fate of the others who are missing,
but up till Monday night no trace of them had been found.
The inquest was to take place on Tuesday.
BELOW THE ATLANTlC.—Soundings in the At-
lantic have been particularly pushed forward, and have
excited, on account of the telegraph cable, more general
interest than any others yet taken. They have revealed the
fact that at least 230 miles from the coast of Ireland the

water is still shallow ; or, in other words, that there is

another Ireland only waiting to be raised—thus reversing
the famous panacea for keeping the country quiet. It is
just beyond this that the true Atlantic begins, the gulf
suddenly sinking to 9,000 feet. Thus Ireland may one day
have a coast line as high as the Alps. The whole floor of
the Atlantic is paved with a soft, sticky substance, called
oaze, nine-tenths consisting of very minute animals, many
of them mere lumps of jelly, and thousands of which mild
float with ease in a drop of water; some resembling
toothed wheels; others, bundles of spines or threads
shooting from a little globule. Some, however, are
endowed with the property of separating flint from the sea
water--which is more than every chemist could do; and
there are hundreds of square-miles covered with the skele-
tons of these little creatures. Part of this oaze is doubtless
from the clouds of rain-dust which rise from the vast
steppes of South America in such masses as to darken the
sun, and make the animals fly to shelter, and which, after
sweeping like a siinoom over the country, lose themselves
in the " steep Atlantic." No bones have been found of the
larger animals, so that the kraken and sea- serpent might
sleep their last sleep, and leave not a bone or a vertebra to
tell the tale. Not a mast or anchor, not a block or strand,
not a coin or a keepsake has been found to testify of the
countless gallant ships and more gallant men who have gone
down amid the pitiless waves.—All the Year Round.

DESTRUCTIVE FIRE AT RUGBY.—About 2 o'clock
yesterday afternoon a fire broke out at the house of the Rev.
J. B. Smythies, one of the masters of Rugby School, and
in whose house upwards of 40 boys belonging to the school
are lodged and boarded. They were at dinner when the fire
was discovered, and upon the alarm being given each boy
rushed to his study at the upper part of the house, with the
view of saving what he could, but as the fire had originated
in one of these rooms to windward of the building, and a
strong wind was blowing at the time, the flames had spread
with fearful rapidity, enveloping the whole of the upper
storey; consequently, it was!rendered almost impossible to
save the contents. Many of the boarders have lost all they
possessed, except the clothes they wore. The house, which
which is rendered untenable, is, together with the furniture,
insured in the County Fire-office.

SMITHFIELD CLUB CATTLE SHOW,--To mor-
row (Thursday) is the last day for the admission of imple-
ments at the Baker-street Bazaar intended foi exhibition at

the ensuing Smithfield Club Cattle Show, and Saturday
evening next at 10 o'clock will be the last hour at which
any cattle or other stock will be admitted to the show-yard.
There is a large increase in the number of entries as com-
pared with former years. The show will be divided into
42 classes by the stewards, who, having duly numbered
every animal and pen, the judges will on Monday next,
coming to their decision by numbers only examine the
various specimens, al:v1 make their award of the prizes. On
Monday evelal'ng at eight o'clock the show will be opened

for ?'";;ate view of the members of the club. It will open
to the public on Tuesday next, Doc. 11, and continue open
daily till Friday the 14th, on the evening of which it will
close. It is expected that not only the Prince Consort but
the Prince of Wales and other members of the royal family
will visit the show this year.