The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-11 00:00:00

THE COMING CHANGE.

The Irish Methodists are giving considerable atten-
tion to the subject of the uses to which the surplus of
Irish Church property may be put, with a particular view
to the protection of their educational interests.
The Irish Evangelist, their organ, has pointed
out that the National Board is tending towards the " anti-
rninational" character, and added that the Roman Catholic
episcopacy are endeavouring to bring its machinery
" more completely under prevailing denominational influ-
ences, in the hope that a considerable portion of the na-
tional property withdrawn horn the Establishment will be
devoted to national education, and that they will get the
lion's share." The subject is taken up by the Methodist
Recorder, whose comments are copied in Irish papers. The
journal computes the " surplus" at £300,000, and having de-
clared hostility to any secularisation of the fund, favours
its appropriation to national education. The Irish Wesleyan
Conference in 1857 declared the existing system of united
education to be "eminently suited to the condition of the
country," and the Methodists would with reluctance abandon
the present plan ; but if it is becoming "denominational"
they would prefer "a new plan altogether, which should
place secular instruction under the care of the State, leaving
the religious bodies to provide from their own resources for
the instruction of their own children."

THE WIGAN COLLIERY ACCIDENT.

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The details which we have received respecting the col-
liery accident in South West Lancashire confirm the re-
ports of its serious nature. Three men have died of their
injuries, and two of the four others injured are not
expected to recover. The accident took place at
the No. 7 pit of the Rainford Coal Company,
which is about eight miles from Wie.an. Tho upper
scam of the colliery has been worked out, so that
sinking to a lower shaft has been commenced. On Thurs-
day, about noon, it was found that the shaft pillars
at the old moulting wore on fire, the ventilating
furnace in the up-cast having ignited the coal.
Preparations were at once commenced for extin-
guishing the fire, and an arrangement was made for con-
veying water down by means of a syphon. Shortly before
midnight the work was nearly completed, and eight men
were sent down to assist. Seven of them seated them-
selves at a short distance from the burning coal, while
the eighth had gone to look after the water in the
downcast. Suddenly the flames were driven upon the seven
men who were near the furnace, and all were severely burned.
It is not thought that any explosion occurred, and no
clearly defined cause can bo assigned for the accident,
though it is probable that a fall of roof may have occasioned
the temporary reversion of the ventilation. There was
no disarrangement of the shafts, and in the course of a few
minutes all the injured men ware brought to the bank,
and conveyed home. Two of them died early the same
morning, and another in the course of the afternoon.
We are sorry to add that two of them have
left widows and children. Yesterday the mouthings of
both shafts were closed, and it is hoped that by this means
the fire at the mouth of the old seam will be extinguished.

The Paris correspondent of the lndepenclance
Beige has reason to believe that the speech of the Emperor
on the 18th will be favourable to the crowning of the edifice
in France.

The Bishop of Winchester, who is blind, and in
his 94th year, recited to the congregation in the cathedral
the whole of the prayers at the afternoon service on
Christmas Day.

There is likely (says the London correspondent of
a Yorkshire contemporary) to be a very curious case before
one of the sitting judges at the Guildhall in February, which
will throw some light upon the inner working of some of our
Government departments. Tho case will assume the form of an
action of libel on the part of an ex-official of good standing
against another official who is closely connected with a late
Secretary of State. Ono of the most curious features of the
affair is, that the alleged libel was contained in a letter ad-
dressed by the defendant to a relation, which letter was ac-
cidentally seen by a friend of the plaintiff in a Government
office, and copied and forwarded to that gentleman.
THE LONG FIRM PRACTICES AT BIRMINGHAM.
A distiller in Liverpool lately received extensive orders
for whisky from a branch of the long firm in Birmingham.
On an order for £5O worth arriving, he wrote to say that
his terms were cash in a first transaction. The firm,
nothing daunted, sent their bill for the amount, when the
distiller informed them that he never accepted bills from
strangers. The firm then wrote to have their bill returned,
but the distiller resolved to return it in person. On visit-
ing their office at Birmingham, he found " sample"
rooms, " private " offices, and " packing room," but not a
soul in charge of them.

A singular case was tried at the Barnsley Court.
house on Friday. It was an action claiming £sb
damages, by Joseph Penner, a weaver, of Ardsley,
against four gamekeepers and watchers employed by
Mr. 11. Micklethwaite, of Ardsley House, for an as-
sault committed by them upon him last September.
lie had been walking with a friend in a place called
Quaker's-lane, and left him to enter a field for a law-
ful purpose. There ho was set upon by the defendants, and
so severely beaten that he sustained serious injuries. The
plaintiff and another man were taken before the magistrates
and committed to prison for a month, but it was urged
that he was not armed in any way, and the violence used
against him was excessive, and it was pointed out that the
keepers bad no deputation to arrest any person on the land,
although their master had the power of shooting over it.
The jury gave the plaintiff a verdict with £25 damages. An
application was made for a new trial, and it was reserved f
consideration.

THE HEAVY FLOODS AT WINDSOR.—The con-
tinued rush of water from the west country of Oxfordshire
and the river Loddon, has caused another rising of the
Thames in the neighbourhood of Windsor of upwards of a
foot, and the" Cobbler," the criterion of watermen for many
years, has at last disappeared altogether. This great in-
crease to the overflow has extended the flood to the
greater portion of the Home Park, under the north terrace
of Windsor Castle, and every part on the north side
of the slopes and all the fields in the Thames Valley, ex-
tending for miles above and below Windsor Bridge, have
the appearance of one vast sea, and the little village of
Datchet is fast becoming peninsulated. Romney Island,
opposite to Eton College, the residence of the well-known
" Charley Tull," of the Locks, is almost submerged, the
cellars in the lower part of Windsor and Eton are fast
filling, and if the water continues to rise, as it is expected,
for several days to come, the neighbourhood of Windsor
and the adjacent towns and villages will experience a
flood which has not been witnessed since the death of the
Duke of Wellington, in 1852. The barge traffic of the
shames has been stopped since gxiday month.

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HER MAJESTY.

OSBORNE, Jan. 10.

ller -Majesty, accompanied by Prince Leopold
and Princess Beatrice, attended Divine service at
Whippingbam Church this morning.
_ _

Earl and Lady Constance Grosvenor arrived at
Osborne yesterday, and had the honour of dining
with the Queen and the Royal Family.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE—This Day.

MARLBOROUGH- STREET.

DISOP,DER IN CONDUCT AT CIIURCII DOORS.
William Gatwood, a boy, was charged before Mr.
Tyrwhitt with disorderly conduct at the doors of
St. Luke's Church, Berwick-street, St. James's.
The Rev. Harry Jones, the rector of St. Luke's
Church, Berwick-street, said he was about entering
his church last night, when he heard a great dis-
turbance in the church directly afterwards followed
by the rush of four or five boys halloaing out
and apparently trying to trip up persons entering
the church, aid as the prisoner rushed into his
arms, he transferred him to a constable who took
him into custody.
In reply to Mr. Tyrwhitt,
The Rev. Harry Jones said that he had suffered
from the nuisance before and let the boys off, but
he thought he would not the present one.
Mr. Tyrwhitt—The complainant only pressing
the case as a caution to the unruly boys of the
neighbourhood, ordered the prisoner to be put
back and discharged at the rising of the Court.
John Macarthy, a rough-looking fellow, was
charged with playing at pitch-and-toss near the
doors of St. Luke's Church yesterday afternoon,
during divine service.

Richard Kent, 191 C, specially employed for the
purpose in plain clothes, proved seeing the prisoner
and others playing at pitch-and-toss, and he took
him into custody.
The Rev. Harry Jones spoke of the nuisance of
lads gambling near his church on Sundays.
Mr. Tyrwhitt fined the prisoner 10s., or eight
days.

Dennis Keefe, Francis Toole, and John White
were charged with a similar offence near the doors
of St. Patrick's Chapel, Sutton-street, Soho, and
after hearing the evidence of Kent, who said that
Toole had been at the court before, Mr. 'ryrwhitt
tined Toole 205., or 14 days, and the others 10s., or
seven days each.
A CAB PROPRIETOR COMMITTED FOR CRUELTY.
James Hart, a cab proprietor, was charged with
cruelty to a horse, by working it in an unfit state.
An officer of the Royal Society for the Preven-
tion of Cruelty to Animals watched the case, the
prisoner leaving been twice before committed for
cruelty.

Sergeant Leech, 17 C, saw the prisoner driving a
horse attached to a cab, the horse being very lame,
and having an open wound on one of its legs, from
which a discharge was issuing, and he took the pri-
soner (who was convincted of cruelly beating a
horse on the Haymarket rank in March last and
fined £3 or two months) into custody.
Mr. Cherry, veterinary surgeon, said the horse
had broken knees, both sore, and it was entirely
lame, and unfit for work of any kind.
The magistrate having made some very strong
remarks on the prisoner's conduct, committed him
for two months with hard labour.

Patrick Carrol, a costermonger, was charged
with cruelty to a donkey.
The prisoner was seen driving a donkey attached to
a barrow laden with vegetables, the donkey having
a large wound on its shoulder, and although the
collar had been hollowed out so as to ease it, it
merely had the effect of aggravating the wound.
Otherwise the donkey appeared to be well
cared for.

The prisoner was fined 10s. or seven days.

TITAiIIES.

AN IMPUDENT ROBBERY..—William Brown, a
labourer, was charged with stealing, a coat, hat,
and scarf, the property of Johann Urquhart.
The prosecutor was employed in the West India
Dock on Friday, and in the course of the day he
put away his coat in what he thought was a place
of safety. On looking for it again it was gone.
There was a scarf in one pocket and a knife in the
other. On Saturday afternoon the prisoner, why
had been at work in the dock and was suspected,
was stopped by a constable, named Joseph Cleaver,
as he was about to leave the dock, and charged
with stealing the coat. He stoutly denied it, on
which Cleaver said you are the thief, and I will
search you. The prosecutor's knife was found upon
him, and on inquiry being made the missing coat
was discovered at the pawn-office of Mr. James
Nathan, a pawnbroker in Poplar, whose assistant,
Benjamin Poole, said that he received it of the
prisoner on Friday afternoon, and lent him 10s.
upon it.

Haine, an officer, said the prisoner had been ill
custody before for stealing a quadrant from a ship,
and after being two days in custody, escaped ill
consequence of the owner going to sea.
The prisoner was committed for trial.

ACCIDENT TO THE Duc DE GUISE.—On Thursday
morning last the flue de Guise, only son of the Duo
d'Aumale, of Orleans House, Twickenham, was throve
from his horse while hunting, and unfortunately broke hie
leg. The illustrious sufferer was at once conveyed to
Orleans House, and surgical aid was immediately forth-
coming. The duke is progressing favourably.
THE SOMERSET PROVINCE OF FREEMASONS. —To-
morrow the installation of the Right Hon. the Earl of
Carnarvon as Grand Master of Freemasons for the Pro-
vince of Somerset will take place at Bath, and the cere-
mony is to be followed by a banquet. Invitations have
been sent out to a large number of lodges, and the event
is one that excites much interest among the fraternity.
HOURLY COMMERCIAL CORRESPONDECE WITS
Paßis.—Although much importance is attached to the
construction of Boutet's Anglo-French railway bridge,
from the immense facilities it will afford for the
transport of passengers and merchandise between
England and the Continent, it seems that there fe
another purpose to which the bridge can be turned,
which will confer even greater benefits, commercially
speaking, upon the two countries. A friend of Mr. Boutet
suggests that a light steel tube, a metre in diameter,
might be affixed to each side of the bridge, either outside,
or forming part of, the balustrade. These tubes could be
continued along the eetisting lines of railway (or a single
tube would suffice, except on the bridge), and might
be used for the conveyance, by atmospheric pres-
sure, of letters, ecc., in a specially constructed car-
riage which the inventor has designed. The tubee
would add comparatively nothing to the cost of the
bridge, and could add materially to its rigidity. P 1
this means a letter posted in London, if addressed to the
Place do la Bourso, could be delivered almost as quickly 00
as if addressed to a suburb of London, and there would be
nothing to prevent the establishment of ten deliveries
daily of Paris letters in London, and of an equal number
of deliveries of London letters iuraris —Mining Journal.
On Saturday morning, the Liverpool police found
the body of a very respectably-dressed middle-age
woman half imbedded in the mud of a road which rune
through some brickfields at the east end of the town'
From marks of violence upon the face, it is thought the
deceased did not come to her death by fair means. The
police are investigating the matter.
A serious accident has occurred to two workmen/
named M‘Gowan and Conway, employed at the West
Cumberland Ironworks, at Workington. One of the men,
it appears, had incautiously thrown some cold water into
a furnace where there was some molten iron at the bot-
tom. The consequence was an explosion, and both.
AN:rowan and Conway wore somewhat severely bureee
about the face.

WINTER WEATHER.—There have been years is
which no frost and snow whatever were seen. In 117:3
so mild was the season that the trees were covered with
leaves ; and the birds built their nests and hatched theft
young in the month of February. In 1289 there was 13°
winter, and in 1421 white blossoms were to be seen on tlll3
ordinary trees in March, and on the vine i❑ April ; ch°r'.
ries ripened in the latter month, and the grape in Mai
In 1538 the gardens were bright with flowers in January'
1572 was like 1172; and 1607, 1612 and 1617 were re'
markable for their genial temperature. Neither ice 11(°
snow was visible in 1639 ; no stoves were lit in Germany
in 1692; and the softness of the weather in 1791, 1807,110
1822 rendered those years quite phenomenal.