The Sun.
London, England, 1869-11-02 00:00:00

MORE MYSTERIES.

The inhabitants of London are just now puzzled
with two problems of equal interest, bat of very
dissimilar characters. Who has given £13,000 to the
London charities, and where is the man who has com-
mitted forgeries to the tune of £20,000, are the questions
of the day. Some able individual, whose name at present
seems hardly ripe for publication, has been practising
caligraphy on bills of lading and the like with such suc-
cess that two firms alone have lost £20,000. The com-
petent penman is wanting and cannot be found. As a
set-off against this rascality, some anonymous person,
or persons, has been distributing large sums to the
metropolitan charities. Up to Thursday no less than
29,000, all in donations of £l,OOO each, had been
acknowledged by hospitals, refuges, convalescent
homes, &c. ; but since then, reclionin.7 only the
donations of £l,OOO each, this sum has been raised
to £13,000. There have been besides many gifts of
smaller amount. The noms de plume assumed by the
donor or donors all differ, but it is noted that they are
in every case composed of three letters, "R. G. F.."
" G. T. N.," &c.

" THE MYSTIC."

The mystery of "The Mystic" has been unveiled.
The poem under this highly appropriate title, which
was published in an American paper as an original
work from the pen of Mr. Tennyson, turns
out in some sense an imposture. It was indeed
written by Mr. Tennyson ; but it saw the light many
years ago in the Laureate's first acknowledged volume,
and was withdrawn, with other juvenile pieces, from
all subsequent editions. Its republication may be
useful as an encouragement to beginners.

EXIT BROADHEAD.
Broadhead, the instigator of the Sheffield maimings
and murders, *ants the world to regard in him a
noble martyr ! As such he presented himself on
Friday before a large meeting at Sheffield. He
is—as is well known—going out of the country.
In fact he finds Sheffield too hot for him.
Instead, however, of slinking quietly away,
he has a and performance in his aid- at the local
music hal.4 attends " in evening dress and black kids,"
makes a speech to his patrons, and holds himself up
as an injured, oppressed, down-trodden man. His
complaint against the Sheffielders is that they will
have nothing to do with him ; masters will
not employ him, men will not work with
him. His love (he says) for trades unions has
brought upon him this suffering. His opponents are
un-Christianly cruel. And the man who talks thus
has been an instigator of murders ! Does he under-
stand—can he be taught—that but for unavoidable
circumstances, the probabilities are that the law
would have required his life from him ?

:FOREIGN NOTES,..
TILE INDIAN DEFICIT.

The .7rofus3ilite publishes a despatch from the Govern-
ment of India to the Secretary of State chewing the
financial condition cf the country. By exceeding the ox-
pem.liture in India and England, as estimated by Mr.
Massey, and by a deficiency of £400,000, the surplus of
.£234,000, expected to have been shown in the Budget for
180 and 1369, was changed to an actual deficit oj
£2,273,363. As compared with the previous year the
revised Budget for 1369-70 shows a deficit of
£1,727,402, instead of a surplus of £52,650 as estimated by
Sir it. Temple. The Government is, however, sanguine as
to the future. Mr. Strachey, officiating Minister of
Finance, hopes to extinguish the deficit this year by
increased salt duty in Bcmbay and Madras, by the tempo-
rary addition of 1 per cent. to the income tax throughout
India, by a reduction of a million and a quarter in the
Public Works expenditure for the year, and by a saving of
£BOO,OOO in the current expenditure. Large savings will
also be made in the civil and military estimates, without
reducing the British forces. Tho increased taxation it
naturally very unwelcome, and the general feeling is that