The Sun.
London, England, 1856-02-26 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, TUESDAY EVENING, FEBRUARY 26, 1856.

The suspension was announced yesterday of the mer-
cantile fir.n of Me4srs. Schafer and Brown, of Feneburch-
street. The amount of their liabilities was not stated.

It is said that in the salle in which the sittings of the
Conferences are being held, there are only three paint-
ings, and those are portraits of the Emperors Napoleon
I. and Napoleon 111., and of the Empress Eugenie.
The departures from the port of London for the Aus-
tralian colonies during the past week have comprised five
vessels—two to Adelaideone to Sydney, one to Mel-
bourne, and one to New Zealand—with an aggregate
capacity of 3,364 tons, The rates of freight continue to
exhi`Jit heaviness.

THE HYDE-PARK RlOTS.—Yesterday the conviction
by Mr. Bingham, in the case of Mr. John Bradley, who
was fined 603, for icciting the mob to resist the police in
Hyde-park in November last, was quashed by the
Assistant Judge at the Middlesex Sessions.
In about wqortnight or three weeks' time about 250
gun and mortar-boats will be completed. They will be
ranged near the northern shores of the Isle of Wight, in
front of her Majesty's marine palace, Osborne, from
which they will extend up in front of Ryde. Arrange-
ments are making for steam-boat and other excursions,
for the purpose of visiting this remarkable fleet.
The Lord Mayor and the Lady Mayoress have issued
cards of invitation for a dinner at the Mansion-house, on
Wednesday next, to meet the American Minister previ-
ous to his departure for the United States, and to which
many of the merchants engaged in the American and
Canadian trades, members of the House of Commons,
and of the Corporation have been invited.
The town council of Southampton have resolved to
petition the Lords of the Treasury to make Southamp-
ton a first-class port. It appears that the stat of land-
ing waiters at Hull and other first-class ports is inferior
in numbers to that of Southampton, which is only a
second-class port.
THE AMERICAN MAILS.—LIVERPOOL, Feb. 25.
Messrs. Brown, Shipley, and Co., the agents for the
United States' mail steamers, have notified that the
steamship Quaker City would be despatched from New
York on the 16th inst., with the usual mails, in the
place of the Pacific. She may be expected to arrive here
on Wednesday next.
A meeting of the theatrical profession, and of the
friends of the drama, is to be held at the Adelphi The-
atre, on the 13th of March, Mr. Charles Dickens pre-
siding, to take into consideration the most advantageous
means of promoting the claim to a small share of the
additional distribution of the funds and benefits of the
charity of " God's Gift," founded, built, and endowed
at the sole cost of Edward Alleyne, the actor.
RIISSIA.N FEMALE DIPLOMACY.—Russia employs a
completely organised female diplomacy. Europe is not
sufficiently attentive to so singular a means of influence.
This important hint was given more than 20 years ago,
in the "Marquis de Custine's Travels in Russia," (page
288), and ought to be borne in mind by the British
Plenipotentiaries during the approaching negotiations
in Paris.

Two valuable metropolitan livings in the gift of the
Lord Chancellor have become vacant—the rectory of

St. Margaret's, Lothbury, by the death of the Venerable
Archdeacon Hollingwortb, worth 1,5001. a year ; and
the rectory of St. George's, Bloomsbury, worth 1,0001.
a year, by the elevation of the Hon. and Rev. H. M.
Villiers, M.A., to the bishopric of Carlisle.
BIRMINGHAM.-All reports received from South Staf-
fordshire represent the iron
_trade to be languid in com-
parison with its state a few weeks ago. Whatever may
be the cause—the stringency of the money market at
home, or an anticipated rupture with the United States
—there has been a falling off in the North American
demand, and orders from the Liverpool houses are not
so freely given as immediately subsequent to our last

quarter-day.
FUNERAL OF THE DUCHESS DE CATJMONT-LAFORCE.
—The funeral obsequies of the Duchess de-Cautnont-
Laren° took place on Saturday morning. Immediately
after the service, the coffin was placed in a travelling
hearse, as the body is to be conveyed to Belgium for in-
terment. The deceased lady was by birth Countess de
Celles, a family which resides on the estate of Seine-
placken, near Vilcorde, in Belgium. It may be remem-
bered that Madame Schieplacken, former proprietor of
that property, and related! to the family of C3lles, was
killed last year by a carriage accident.—Galignani.

ROYAL SEA-BATHING INFIRMARY.—This institution,
established in 1796, which also bears the appellation of
the National Hospital for the Serofulous Pcor of all Eng-
land, and is situate near Margate, was prominently
brought before the congregation of St. John's Church,
Clapham-rise, on Sunday morning, by the Rev. J. Hodg-
son, M.A., vicar of St. Peter's, Thanet, who preached an
able and impressive sermon in aid of the funds. The text
was taken from Psalm xli., verse 4. The rev. gentleman
pointed eut with much force the _great benefits derived
by the poor from the institution • and his efforts resulted
in a collection amounting to 411. Bs. 11d.
RECENT WILLS.--The will of Sir Henry Every, Bart.,
was proved in London under 8.0001. personalty • WM.
Hilton' Esq,, Danbury, 80,0001. ; Robt. Hale ilagden
Hale, Esq., of Cottes-house, Wilts, 25,0001. ; Charles
Lam'., Esq., of Warwick, 40,0001.; Dame Frances Anne
Wilder, 30,0001' ; Mrs. Jane Graham, of Barnstaple,
40,000/. ; T. J. Wiltshire, of Cornhill, gold and silver-
smith, 14,0001. ; Thos. Collier, of Brackley, surgeon,
12,000/. ; Jen. Runt, of Monument-yard, fruit-broker,
25,0001.; Joseph Dowson, of Camberwell, and Price's,
Wharf, Lambeth, timber-merchant, 160,0001. The Hon.
Lord Henry Beauchamp died intestate, leaving 9,0001.
pereonalty.
ROYAL COLLEGE OF SURGEONS. —The following gen-
tlemen, having undergone the necessary examinations
for the diploma, were admitted members of the College
at the meeting of the Court of Examiners on the 22d
instant :--Messr. William Scott, Marcbmont-street,
Brunswiek•square-; William Henry Stone, Canterbury
Michael Allen, Bridgend, Glamerganehire ; Jumes Shaw,
Teignmoutb, Devon ; James Sedgwiek, Boroughbridge,,
Yorkshire ; Henry Mandsley, Settle, Yorkshire ; Geo.
Holden, Sydney, New . South Wales ; John Rowell,
Hexham, Northumberland; and Henry Rowland Palmer,
Spanish Town, Jamaica. At the same meeting of the
court, Mr. Alfred William Finch Noyes passed his exa-
mination for naval assistant-surgeon.
The new Lord Aveland is eldest son of the late Sir
Gilbert-Herithcote • who was well known in the sporting
world as the model of an old English country gentle.
man, and was one of the wealthiest landed proprie-
Vire' -and representative of Rutland from 1812 to
the dissolution in 1841, when he retired from public
life ; he died in 1851. The present baronet, now
Lord Aveland (his son
_by a daughter of the late
Countess of Dysart), was member for Boston from
1821 to 1832, and sat for S iuth Linoolnshite from
1832 to 1841, when he succeeded his father in the re-
presentation of Rutland. Though a liberal on other
points it is remarkable that he always opposed the re-
peal of the Corn Laws. He was born in 1795, and in
1827 he married the Hon. Clementine. Elizabeth
Wil-
loughby, eldest daughter of the present Lord Willoughby
d'Eresby, hereditary Joint-Great Chamberlain of Eng-
land. Big lordship has issue, a family of two daughters
and an only son, now the Hon. Gilbert Henry Heath-
cote, M.P. for Boston since 1852, who was born in 1828,
and was educated at Harrow and Trinity College, Cam-
bridge. The founder of this branch of the Heathcote
family was Lord Mayor of London, M.P. for that city
early in the 18th century, and one of the first proprie-
tors of the Bank of England.
CIVIL SERVICE SUPERANNUATION COMMlTTEE.—Yes-
terday
,the Chancellor of the Exchequer was chosen
chairman of this committee, appointed to consider the
provisions of a bill to amend the law for regulating al-
lowances granted in-respect of persons having held
civil offices in her Majesty's service. The members of
it are Sir F. Baring, Lord S'anley, Mr. Gladstone, Sir
H. Willoughby, Mr. Roebuck, Mr. Henley, Sir S.
Northcote, Viscount Monk, Mr. M‘Cartney, Mr. Rich,
Mr. Palmer, Mr. V. Scully, Mr. Seymour, Mr. Fitz-
gerald, and Mr. 0. Ricardo. A petition has been pre-
sented to the committee from the chairman and 'general
committee of civil servants of the crown for exemption
from deduction from their salaries and superannuation
allowance, and other matters connected with the service,
which will come under the consideration of the com-
mittee. _ _

A FEARFUL MANTRAP.—Within the last few weeks
many private residences in the upper part of the city,
particularly in the Sixteerah Ward, have been forcibly
entered and robbed, and the occupants' lives placed in
jeopardy from the bold and reckless villains perpetrating
these crimes, who do not hesitate to shoot, run through,
orknock oa the head anyone havingthe temerity to inter-
fere with them while inpursuit of plunder. An occurrence,
however, recently took place which came costing a
rascal his worthless life, and one which should strike ter-
ror to all evildoers. It appears that a wealthy and scien-
tifio gentleman, whose name we will not now mention,
residing in Twenty-first-street, between the Eighth and
Ninth avenues, has a fence about the rear yard of his pre-
mi4es, over which it is now impossible for rogues to clam-
ber, and by this means they might in the night time gain
access to his dwelling. Wishing to prevent anything of
the kind, he a few evenings ago set a springboard in
the garden at that point of the fence where a thief would
be most likely to get over. In the end of this board
(nearly 20 feet in length), was firmly attached a sharp
and immense tobacco cutter, weighing 16ib., and so pre-
pared with springs that upon any one getting from the
outside and stepping upon a small platform on his way
over the fence, the trap would spring and propel with
great force the end of the plank containing the cutter
against the person treading upon the dangerous and for-
bidden ground. This fearful mantrap was baited, and
set several nights in succession, but wi:,hout catching any
game, and the inventor began to think that he had all
his trouble and expense for nothing. About two o'clock,
however, a few mornings since, this rogue-catcher
Was beard to spring against the fence with so much
force that several inmates of the house were awakened
by it. As soon as possible the owner of the premises
and a man in his employ hurried to the garden, expect-
ing to capture a crippled thief, but they were disap-
pointed ; the work obJeffeatually maiming had been
accomplished, but the ovictim had jumped into the
street and hobbled o 1 He was traced some dis-
tanco by the copious flowing of blood, but the fugi-
tive could not be discovered, he probably baying been taken
up and conveyed away by some accomplices. On entering
it was discovered that the power of the spring-board had.
forced the iron cutter through a two-inch plank of tho
fence, by the side of which was found part of a brogan shoe
or boot, containing three toes and other parts of a man's
foot, which had been severed by the victim springing the
trap. The blood at the time was flowing from the lost
limb. Judging from the remnant of the shoe found, it
was of English manufacture, and hence the wearer is
supposed to have been an English burglar. Nothing more
has been heard of this unknown victim, nor any more
rascals caught, notwithstanding this infernal machine
(if so it may be termed) has since been nightly set. This
part of a man, although he has sustained a great loss,
may consider himself fortunate that he succeeded in
escaping with his life. The "cutter," had it struck him
in the abdomen would have instantly divided hia body.
—NOW York Tribune,