The Sun.
London, England, 1869-09-07 00:00:00

THE DOCKYARDS.

It is now confidently asserted that in addition to closing
Woolwich and Deptford Dockyards the Government has
decided on the abolition of Sheerness as a naval establish-
ment as soon as the requisite arrangements connected
with the chancre can be carried out. The only dock-
yards and naval establishments which will thus be
retained are those at Chatham, Portsmouth, Devonport,
and Pembroke. The Government, by the abolition of
Woolwich, Deptford, and Sheerness dockyards, only give
effect to the recommendation of the committee which sat
some time since, in concentrating the whole of the
naval resources of the kingdom at some three or four
large dockyards. For some years past Sheerness has been
allowed to sink into the position of ono of the minor dock-
yards, the large establishment at Chatham, some few miles
higher up the Medway, monopolising nearly the whole of
the building and fitting of the ships of our ironclad
squadrons, whilst the completion of the vast basins and
docks now in course of formation at that port will leave
no necessity for the retention of Sheerness as a separate
naval establishment. As to the use to which Sheerness
Dockyard may ultimately be put, nothing definite would
appear to be decided, but it seems probable that it will
be retained as a place for depositing naval stores.
The period for closing the dockyard at Woolwich is fixed
for the Ist of October, when the whole of the mechanics
and other hands employed at the establishment will be
discharged. Already a number of the established work-
men have been transferred to Chatham -god:yard, and
the remainder will be sent to that and other dockyards
as vacancies occur at those establishments.

THE COMING ECUMENICAL COUNCIL.

At the Roman Catholic pro• Cathedral, Kensington, on
Sunday night, the Very Rev. Monsignere Capel delivered
his third lecture on this subject. Tie said since the pro-
mulgation of the decree convoking the council
special prayers had been offered by the ministers
of the Church and the laity throughout the
world, invoking the assistance of the Holy Spirit. The
chief object of the council would be to decide certain
matters of discipline adapted to the wants of the present
day. For a long period the subjects to be treated of in
the council had been investigated in Rome by ecclesiastics
of the highest eminence ; and in order that nothing
may divert their attention, but one subject has
been given to each. The council will draw
its information from two sources, Scripture and
tradition. They would concede to Scripture that
which was its due, but no more, since Scripture could not of
itself be an unerring guide. Out of the twenty-two Gospels,
&c., written, but four were decreed canonical, although
some of the Gospels had been written by the Apostles.
Even those who differed from the Church claimed a
right to interpret Scipture by a fixed rule. The Catholic
Church was one which permitted the use use of the reason;
if it did not, he would not remain therein one
moment. The greatest converts had still been per-
mitted the exercise of their reasoning faculties. The
conncil would frame decrees whiat would be issued
to the world, and which it would be sinful to
controvert. But why should the decree be received ?
Were frail, sinful men, then, infallible? Yes ; for
though they were not impeccable, yet when, after having
with prayer investigated the matter brought before them.
they were compelled by God's Holy Spirit to speak the
truth. As a just Being, God would not permit the
prayers of over 200 millions of His creatures to be
fruitless.

Cardinal Cullen has ordered a special three:days'
thanksgiving in the Dublin chapels for tho "putting of an
end to ascendancy" by the Legislature.

The bishop of Carlisle still continues very ill. his
lordship has removed from tho south to his episcopal resi-
dence at Rose Castle, near Carlisle.

A very sad accident is reported from Castletown,
Isle of Man. .An open boot, it appears, capsized with two
gentlemen, near Port St Mary, and both of them were
drowned.

A porter in the employ of the Halifax and Hud-
dersfield Bank, at the last-namod town, disappeared on Fri-
day, taking with Lim more than £2OO belonging to the
bank. His name is Hallos, and he is about 23 years of age.

The advocates of an amnesty for the Fenian pri-
soners are encouraged to hope for the E uccess of their
movement by a letter from Mr. GiadEtono received by their
secretaries in Dublin, in which the Premier assures them
that "he will not fail to give his most earnest attention to
tho important question."

The other day Mr. W. W. Woodhead, a Yorkshire
deputy-corner, received information of the death of a man
who had been injured in tome blasting operations. Ile
directed that a jury rhould to•summoned, and an inquest
held the next day. At the time appointed he proceeded to
the place, and to his amazement found that the deceased
had been interred. lle took the jury to the graveyard, Lad
the body exhumed, and then formally opened the inquest.
The interment Lad taken place in censequenee of the re-
gistrar Laving improperly given a eef Client° of the muse of
death.

Tire AMERICAN F 1 NIA The R►ev. Paul
Bagley, American missionary, has left London, and sails
by the Aleppo for the United States, to lay before the
President a correspondence with Mr. Gladstone and
ahem Mr. Bagley was the bearer of a petition for the
release of the American Fenian prisoners, signed by a
number of members of the two Rouses of Congress, and
by about thirty members of Parliament.
Her Majesty has commanded the issue of Letters
Patent under the Great Seal conferring the dignity of
Knight of the United Kingdom on Mr. William E.
Drake, of Oatlands Lodge, in the county of Surrey. This,
it is understood, has been done at the instance of Mr.
Gladstone, as a personal recognition of the services ren-
dered to the Liberal party by Mr. Drake during the
several years of close and confidential relations which
have existed between him and its recognised representa-
tives.

It is rumoured that on the reassembling of
Parliament a bill will be introduced to alter the con-
stitution of the court known as tho "Judicial Commit'eo
of tho Privy Council." One of the main features of the bill,
it is said, will be the appointment of a permanent legal
president at a fixed salary. The business of this court
of final eppeal from the colonies and the Courts of Admi-
ralty and Arches has considerably increased of late years,
and owing to the difficulty at times of constituting a full
court, the remanets after each of the four sittings of the year
have become numerous.

RAILWAY ACCIDENT.-011 Saturday night a
railway pointsman, named John Worthington, residing at
Rumworth, near Bolton, met with a very shocking acci-
dent at Bolton Station. He was leaving his duties for the
night, and, as was his custom, was returning by the 9.30
`rain to Lostock. He jumped on the footboard of one of
the carriages, and was about to get into one of the com.
partments, when his body came into contact with the side
of the approach to the series of tunnels that began at this
point, and he was thrown under the wheels of the carriages.
On being picked up his legs were found to be almost
entirely severed from his body.
SINGULAR RECOVERY OF A DIAMOND RING.—
A young lady while searching the beach at Ilfracombe
'or " common objects on the seashore " last week,
descried reeping out of the sand what proved to be a
valuable diamond mourning ring, with an inscription in
memory of the late Lord Rolle. Inquiries were instituted,
and it was ascertained that the ring formerly belonged to
Mr. Drake, now deceased, who was connected with the
Rolle family, and was lost by Mrs. Drake about thirteen
years ago on the beach at Ilfracombe. It having been
given into her charge by her husband when he was boat-
ing on a stormy day she had placed it outside her glove,
and in the hurry of landing it had slipped off, and a care-
ful search for it, which was instituted at the time, was
without success.

The proceedings against the Rev. W. J. E. Ben-
nett, vicar of Promo, have passed through their prelimi-
nary legal stages, sad the articles of charge have been
duly filed in the Court of Arches. The allegation
against Mr. Bennett is that he teaches the doctrine
of the Real Presence in the Eucharist. The case will bo
heard in Michaelmas term in the province of Canterbury,
and at just about the same time the case of Mr. Voysey,
who, in " The Sling end the Stone," is charged with
denying the fundamental doctrines of Christianity, will be
heard in the province of York. The great Ritualistic cases,
in which the Rev. J. Purchas, of St. James's, Brighton, and
the Rev. It. Wix, of St. Michael's, Swaurnore, Isle of Wight,
are the defendants, will also be heard before Sir Robert
Phillimoro in Michaelmas term.

At the Clerkenwell Police-court on Monday
man complained that his daughter, v. ho had been in the
Roman Catholic convent' school, Clarendon-square, St.
Pancras, bad been sent to America by the superioress
without his knowledge. The Oa had been in the
school for about eight years; he had leen in the habit
of seeing her frequently. The last time ho saw her
was on the 25th of August, and then she Enid nothing to him
about going away. Ho went again on Sunday, and was then
told that she was on her way to America. He was not a
Roman Catholic, but the girl's mother, who is dead, was;
and her dying request was that the child should be placed
in the eehools. llis daughter, who is between eighteen and
nineteen years of age, knew, ho said, very little of the
ways of the world, and he was afraid she had been trapped
into what she bad done. The superioress would not givo
him any information. Mr. Cook said he would direct a
warrant officer to make inquiries, and tin applicant Raid
pee hint again_snAmatiert