The Sun.
London, England, 1869-01-15 00:00:00

LDIA.

BOMBAY, Jan. 14.

The defeat of Abdool Rahman Khan is confirmed.
The battle took place at Ghuznee subsequent to
the 24th of December. The exact date is not yet

known.

The troops of Abdool Rahman have joined
Ameer Shere Ali.

HOMEWARD INDIA, CHINA, AND
AUSTRALIAN MAILS.

SUEZ, Jan. 14.

The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer
Surat arrived from Calcutta at noon to-day.

FRANCE.

PARIS, Jan. 15.

The official journal of the empire rays the Con-
ference held a meeting yesterday, and then ad-
journed until to-day.
The Constitutionnel conjectures that the Confe-
rence will achieve its work of conciliation and peace
despite the absence of the Greek representative.
The same paper believes that Greece, being aware
of the unanimity prevalent among the Powers, will
finally shape her course in conformity with the re-
solutions which have been adopted.
BOURSE, Jan. 13.—Three o'clock.—The market
closed as follows
per Cent.
End of month —
3 per Cent
End of month._ 70 221
Credit Mobilier 276 25

Bank Shares 3090
It&Pan Loan
End of month —
Mexican Loan
Do. Bonds
Spanish Threes
Home Debt —
Deferred ......
3. Cash.
Orleans
Northern ........ .....................
Lyons and Mediterranean
Southern..... 5864
Western
Eastern ............
Sardinian
Austrian
Lombard
North of Spain
Saragossa
Homan

End of month... 280
Credit Foncier _153:
End of month...

RAILWAY;

THE LADIES' SHOEMAKERS' STRIKE.

Immediately after the discharge from custody of
the defendants—Shepherd, Brayne, Cook, Emmett,
eyyesterday for conspiracy,
the younger—who were
thetried e ladte rt
h,
ea nodl d Emmett,Bai
and acquitted, they were invited to attend a meet-
ing of their friends, members of their society, at
the Bell Inn, Old Bailey. Mr. G. Odger, secretaty
of the London Trades' Council, took the chair.
About 200 persons, including many women, were
present. The chairman, in addressing the meeting,
said that, perhaps, the present was the most im-
portant period which had ever occurred in the his-
tory of Trades' Unions. Considering the amount
of prejudice which had been created against Trades'
Unions by a part of the press ; taking into account
what had been disclosed in the evidence of the
Broadhead outrages, and looking at the comments
—many of them erroneous—made upon the evi-
Il dence given before the Trades' Union Commission,
it could not be denied that the decision in the case
just tried was of the highest importance, and
calculated to inspire them all with hopes that
Trades' Unions would receive more fair play than
many of their opponents were willing to give them.
In the present case the men had acted with
prudence an discretion. The case had already been
before the public, and the conduct of the men
engaged in it had disarmed all hostile criticism.
That fact went to show that when tradesmen con-
ducted themselves in a straightforward manner,
and kept fairly within the limits of the law, they
might reasonably hope to have justice done them.
The case just tried was all the more hopeful for
trades' unionism, as
it came immediately after a
decision recently given at the Central Criminal
Court, under Mr. Russell Gurney's Act, which
gave legal protection to the funds of trade
societies. He referred to the conviction and sen-
tence to six months' imprisonment of the secretary
to the Bricklayers' Society for embezzlement of the
society's funds. Comparison had been drawn
between this case and that of the tailors tried
some time ago before Mr. Baron Bramwell, but he
maintained there was little comparison between the
two cases, because the men in the case just tried
had acted with the most perfect propriety. He
should advise the men always to act within the
limits of the law, because that line of conduct
would keep tin in in a legal position, and not
put them in an offensive light before the public.
Ily acting thus trades' unionists would win the
respect of those who at present had their doubts
about them. Mr. W. Emmett, the eldt.r,
one of the defendants in the case, ad-
dressed the meeting, and said that arbitration
had been offered to the prosecutor, but the latter
refused to name six employers to confer with six
workmen. Mr. Emmett believed that all trades'
unionists would be very glad to substitute arbitra-
tion for strikes ; bat in order to make arbitration
effective it should be compulsory. If otherwise,
" cutting" employers would not consent to it.
Other members of the society addressed the meet-
ing, urging union and moderation among the men,
and the proceedings concluded with a vote of thanks
to the chairman.