The Sun.
London, England, 1860-05-19 00:00:00

THAMES.

AMERICAN 0 UTRAGES IN RATCLIFF-HIGH WAY.—Wm.
Barnes, an American seaman, was brought before Mr:
Sclkcharged with violently assaulting James Donaldson.
The complainant, a Scotchman, said he was a mariner,
and belonged to an English ship. Last night he was gently
walking along Rateliff-Highway,- when five Americans
came up to him and hustled him. One of them kicked him,
and before he could recover himself the prisoner struck him
a violent blow on the eye with his clenched fist and knocked
him down. His eye was severely cut, and a medical man
put a surgical plaster over the corner of it.
Mr. Selfe—l perceive your eye is injured. Did you give
no provocation at all ?
Donaldson—None whatever, sir.

Robert Ityves, a police-constable, No. 189 11, saw the
assault, and confirmed the statement of Donaldson in every
paqicular. The witness added, " These outrages among
the American seamen are very frequent indeed. They
come on sh re 30 and 40 at a time, go about in bands and
ill-use people with impunity. Last Monday night,' 30
Americans attacked people indiscriminately in the neigh-
bourhood of Ratcliff-highway, and we had a good deal of
trouble to disperse them."

The prisoner said he was drunk last night. He did not
know what he did. He came hero in the ship Oakum,
from Barbadoes, and had recently joined the Plymouth
Rook, an American ship, and was going out to sea in her.
Mr. Selfe—l shall not allow this. You and your ship-
mates assail an inoffensive man, you knock him down and
cut his eye open. I fine you 405., and in default of pay-
ment, three weeks' imprisonment.

IRELAND.

DUBLIN, FRIDAY.

THE FOREIGN ENLISTMENT ACT.

Recruiting is going on briskly in the south of
Ireland. Mallow and Killarney seem to be the chief
places for the live stock which now form so large a
portion of the exports of.ireland. A Cork paper of
yesterday says :
"An awkward squad of raw recruits, who by their ap •
pearance and conformation appeared better adapted for
tailors or shoemakers than for soldiers, came by train from
Mallow to Cork on Tuesday aad yesterday. It is stated
that the son of a well-know,: solicitor in the West Riding
has obtained a commission in hii; Holiness's army. A gen-
tleman named Sullivan is also stared to have obtained a
commission."
Referring to the proclamation, Dr. Cullen's
official organ., the Morning News, is instructed to
say :
" We know what all this means, and what we think of it
all may be told in a few words. The only effect of this pro-
clamation will be to proclaim to Europe what the British
Government would fain do if it only could. That Irishmen
are going to Rome is, indeed, true ; and that those who
may settle there may be found, arms in hand, defending
the Pope should he be attacked, is no doubt probable. But
it is not true that any one is violating the enactment which
is dragged from the dust of half a century and flourished in
our faces. What is being done is not being done secretly.
So ample and implicit is the reliance of those who know
them best that Irishmen would, of their own free resolve,
act as becomes brave men and true friends of justice, liberty,
and • right in any land in which they might be found,
that the ardent desire of our countrymen to emigrate to
Rome is encouraged by all who wish well to the peace,
happiness, freedom, and prosperity of Italy; no 'engage-
ment,' no 'retaining,' no stipulation, no v:olation of any
law being necessary, and none being attempted. This is a
movement which no vroclamation' will prevent—unless,
indeed, one from the Pontiff-King, whose peril has called
forth such a glorious spectacle of fidelity and devotion.
We counsel, and have for weeks backs been counselling,
compliance with the laws which regulate emigration. We
wish to see laws worthy of being obeyed, and not only
cheerfully obeyed, but honestly and impartially adminis-
tered. We have no fear that the noble zeal which Catholic
Ireland has shown in support of the cause of justice, of
liberty, of loyalty, and of religion, will fail or faker before
this shabby attempt to wrest the law against ' foreign enlist-
ment' to the ad vantage of invaders, annexers, assassins, and
pirates."

EMIGRATION.
The Cork Constitution of yesterday thus re•
marks :

"Two river steamers left this city yesterday for Queens-
town, crowded with persons who intend leaving for Ame-
rica by the screw steamships Glasgow and Nova Scotian,
the former cf which sails from this Dort to-day for New
York and the latter for Quebec. They were mostly from
the Queen's county and Kerry, and the great majority were
young people. On being asked their reason for leaving the
country they replied that there were no opportunities for
young persons of the farming class to get on-here, and they
considered it their best course to go away to a place where
land was cheap and easily got."

AN OAK SHIVERED BY LIGHTEING.

The rector of Holy well, St. Ives, communicates
the following facts, which may be interesting to
many of our readers : —This evening, the 17th
inst., about five o'clock, dark clouds coveling the
heavens, I perceived in the southern horizon a red-
dish mist, which seemed like the smoke and glare
of au extensive tire. I got up to the window to look
at it more attentively, when I saw it extending
along the horizon eastward and westward, so as
to prove that it did not originate from any cause
on the earth; but the great singularity of its
appearance seemed to indicate some approaching
atmospheric convulsion. Almost immediately a
thunderstorm burst forth of more than usual se-
verity, accompanied with heavy rain. The inter-
vals between the flash and the report were so instan-
taneous as to prove that the
" Clouds with heaven's artillery fraught"
were immediately over our heads, and, after one
tremendous peal, the mighty power of the hand that
hurls the bolt was exhibited in a result that no bat-
teries of human skill, if they were opened at once
on the object, and were to strike simultaneously the
spot smitten by the thunderbolt, could possibly—l
will not say have effected, but have even approached
in terrific power. A few hundred yards from my
residence, in a farmer's field, stood an oak of about
40 feet in height and 10 in circumference, perfectly
vigorous and sound, just putting forth its leaves.
The thunderbolt struck it about 15 feet from the
ground. It was broken about two-thirds off, and
the top of the tree fell to the earth clinging to the
stem by the und:vided fibres.
perfectly as human labour could have
The tree was barked nearly from the top to the
r
About one-fourth part of the standing
cleft clean out to the s!cry root, and flung
on e
the
it.
ground on the side opposite to that on which
the top was
had fallen ; the remainder of the standing
strippedstrunk
as w a s
cleft in four or five places,so that the hand
could be thrust into some parts and the fingers into
others. The whole heart of the tree was literally torn
into thousands of splinters, and fibres from the spot
where the bolt struck it down to the very root of
the tree, the splinters, of various degrees of thick-
ness, from a small cord to a rope, in shape fiat or
round, some erect, others tapering to a thread, hang-
ing like willows in pendulous disorder through the
chasm left by the part of the stem cleft out. The
balk and pieces that seemedtorn from the st emof the
broken top were flung in various distances into the
field. One piece that was not less, I should think,
than 2 cwt , was thrown to a distance of 36 feet,
and one not nearly so largo to a distance of 63,
while the bark and other fragments of the tree lay
scattered at various distances, It is impossible to
behold it without being impressed with the impo-
tence of man, and without being forced to feel and
confess the arm of God Himself is here. If such be
the blow inflicted by one of His messengers, what
shall it be when He comes Ithuself to judgment?

THE CHANCELLORSHIP OF THE UNIVERSITY OF
EDINBURGH.—Tho Scotsman of yesterday states that the
Chancellor of the University arrived at Edinburgh last
night from Brougham Hal!, by the Caledonian train, at
840 p.m. Lord Brougham is the guest of the Lord Pro-
vost during his very brief stay. Bis lordship was to have
brought with him his venerable friend, Lord Glenelg, a
distinguished student of our university, who, however,
is unfortunately so much indisposed as to be unable to tra-
vel. At the installation of Lord Brougham as Chancellor
of the University, the degree of LL.D. will be conferred on
the following gentlemen :—The Lord Justice General, Dr.
Reeves, front Ireland; Dr. Stokes, Trinity College, Dub-
lin; Dr. Sharpey, of London; Professor Miller, oeLondon ;
ofo7atincekheetssthera;s been very great,
Mr. John Forster,
h oWndiollnia.ralFhaeqirndbeaman,d f