The Sun.
London, England, 1858-04-01 00:00:00

this is but a day-dream. Yet it is a day-dream
of which we may already recognise the certainty
of the ulterior realisation. Hence the profound
interest with which many thoughtful men in
Europe and in America must watch the progress
of the uow enterprise for the laying down of the
cable of the Atlantic Telegraph. That wonder.
ful cord, already coiling up on the decks of the
noble vessels appointed for its conveyance, will
be another glorious bond for the girding up the
loins of modern civilisation.

PRESENTATION OF A CANNON BY
QUEEN VICTORIA.

We read in the Momiteur :—"A cannon and
ammunition tumbril, pr seated to the Emperor
by Queen Victoria, were escorted this (Tuesday)
morning into the Court of the Tuileries by a detach-
ment of horse artillerymen of the Imperial Guard.
The Emperor, accompanied by Lord Cowley, the
Minister of War, and General de la Hitte, Presi-
dent of tile Council of Artillery, examined with the
minutest detail this magnificent specimen of Engl.sh
artillery, wherein are combined he comfort (so in
the original !) which our skilful and careful neigh-
bours display in everything, and the perfect finish
of the many pieces of wo.AI and of iron.
" Major Andrews, of the English service, assisted
by an able subordinat,., explained successively the
mechanism and the • use of all the parts of this
beautiful piece of work.. The cannon, a nine-
pounder, is polished to an unusual brilliancy, and
burs on an escutcheon the arms of France, beneath
which is inscribed, ' To Napoleon 111., from Queen
Victoria.' Her Majesty, •the Empress, attended,
accompanied by the Prince Imperial, to show by
her presence how sensible she was of the gracious-
ness of the Queen. The Emperor, on retiring,
expressed his entire satisfaction to Lard Cowley,
and also to Major Andrews, whose explanations
his Majesty listz.ned to with lively interest." Let
us hope this present of a comfortable cannon may
not be a significant omen.

SIERRA LEONE A VD THE AFRICAN
SQUADRON.

PLYMOUTH, MARCH 31.

Her Majesty's ship Merlin, Commander Buckley,
arrived here this morning with invalids from the
African squadron and mails from Tenqiffe. She
left Sierra Leone on Feb. 14, and St. Vincent, 20.
The admiral had proceeded up the Gambia in the
Ardent. Nothing further relative to the Scarries
expedition has been received.
The Boseawen, Vesuvius, Antelope, and Childers
were at Sierra Leone. The Sharpshooter sailed for
Ascension on Feb. 12. The Alert was at St. Vin-
cent.
The Merlin left Teneriffe on March 11, but
having lost her rudder-head in a gale, returned,
and sailed again on the 19th. Trade was dull.
F, ver prevailed in the squadron. The Merlin
bad 40 cases and four deaths before leaving the
coast. _ _ _ . _ _ _ _ .

No intelligence had been rdeived of the Gambia
packet.
Commander Buckley received, on Feb. 12, the
Victoria Cross, on board the Boscawen, in the
presence of the admiral, the commodore, the go-
veruor, the Bishop of Sierra Leone, and a number
of officers and colonists.

LADY HAVELOCK AND SIR H. M. HAVELOCK'S ANNIII-
TIES.—The Act of Parliament granting the annuities of
1,0001. each to Lady Havelock and to the present baro-
net. has been printed. The annuities are to be deemed
to have commenced on the sth Feb., and the first pay-
ment to be made on the sth April inst., free from all
charges except the income tax.
DEATH OF THE EARL OF MORTON.—We regret to
announce the demif,e of the Earl a Morton, who did
shortly before 3 o'clock, a.m., yesterday, at the family
residence in Brook-street, after a short lanesp. Tne de
ceased George Shell° Dougla,, Earl of Morton, Lord
Datkeith sod Aberdoir in tue peera.ge of Scotland, of
which peerage he era{ representatiVe peer in Parliament,
was eldest sou of the Hon. John Douglas, by Lady
Frances Lascelle,,, eldest daughter of Edward, first Earl
of Ihrewi,o,i. He was born 23,1 Dect-mher, 1789.
DEATH OF MB. J. H. BARROW.—On Tue-day, at
his r, s ,euce in Fri.4l./ci,-3tieet, Newington, Mr. J.
H. Barrow, a gentleman for some time connected with
the newspaper press. Mr. Barrow was, however, better
known as the editor of the Mirror of Parliament, a series
of original reports of the Parikinentaty debates, which
he started in opposition to Hansard, and which for
some years maintained a successful contest with that
compilation. He was also the author of " Emir Maleck,"
and one or two other works of fiction in prose and in
verse.

THE FRENCH Emsxsm—Sefton house, the mansion
of the Eatl of Sefton's larnilv, in Belgrave-square, has
been taken for Marshal the Duke of I.ll4lakoff, and will
be the future residence of the French Rnbassy.
A RESULT OF THE NIGER EXPEDITION.—Yesterday
(Wednesday) the ship George arrived 'at Liverpool with
a eargo of palm oil and ivory from Laird's Town, Africa,
being the first commercial result of the Niger expedition
sent out by Mr. Macgregor Laird, of London.
It is announced that the steamer Wye, with the Aus-
tralian rualq, itri'lVtll [Jay, tba
the mails left at 10 a.m. ; they will therefore be delivered
here to-morrow morning.
The Strathmore, Marian M'lntyre, Sir W. F.
Williams, Foi,tabelle, Peregrine Oliver, P ,delta, and
Colinsburg have arrived from China with 3,630,0001 b. of
tea and 2,236 bales of silk.'

The half-yearly dividend is advertised on the Tarki-h
Six per Cent. loan. _ _

Tne Lord Mayor, the sheriffs, and the corporation of
the City of London will attend Divine Service in state,
on Monday next (Easter Monday), when a report will
be presented to them in reference to the state c-f the
Royal ho pita,la in the City of London. The sermon on
the occasion will be preached by L ird Auckland, Bishop
of Bath and Wells.

THE SOANE MUSEUM.—Today a further extension of
the time for viewing the free exhioition of Sir John
Sow,e's Museum, 13, Liandn's-inn-fields, takes placp,
and the public are to be admitted eery Tuesday, Thurs-
day, and Friday, to the end of June, oy pre-
viously obtaining tickets of admission of the curator -
CRYSTAL PALACE.—ONE SHILLING DAY, Wednesday,
March El.—Adinissions on payment, 745 ; ditto by
season tickets, 465; total vi-itors, 1,210.
The Dirto';ors of the Crystal Palace Company have
unanimously elected Mr. Robert K. Bowiey to fill the
office of general manager to the company. Mr. Bewley
is already known to the public as having basil one of the
most prominent officers of the Sacred Harm )nic Society,
Exeter-hall, during its increasingly popular career of 25
years.

- THE ISLINGTON TRAGEDY. —INQUEST ON EAST'S
CHILD.--An inquest was held yesterday on the body of
a little girl, 4 years old, the child of EAst, the lodger in
the house of Osborne, the man who recently committed
suicide at Islington. A. verdict of natural death was
returned. It was stated that there were some hopes of
Mrs. Osborne's recovery, though she was still in a pre-
carious state, and that Ei.st had left the neighbourhood.

HORSE TAMING.—Mr. Rarey, the celebrated American
horse tamer, yesterday entertained a large number of
fashionable visitors in the Duke ~f Wellington's private
riding-school, Knightsbridge. Tee Duchess of Sather•
land and the :Marchioness of Staff3rd attended early, and
received special instruction in his methods of subjugating
the horde, Mr. Rerey afterwards gave instruction to
his third public class. Amon, the noblemen and gen-
tlemen pres,nt were the Duke of Leeds, the Marquls of
Stafford, the Earl Grosvenor, the Earl of Derby, Lord
Keane, Lord Fitzroy, Sir E. Kerdison, Sir H. Hoare,
Sir A. Cockburn, Sir W. Wal;ace, Gen. the Hon. H.
Murray, Col. Spence, Major Fitzgerald, E. Lloyd, E q ,
A. M. Drummond, Esq., R. M. fines, Esq., M.P., H.
D. Barclay, Esq., F. Travers, E q., C. M, Martyn,
Capt. Bateson, A Travers, Eq., U F. Bates, Eaq., E.
Higgins, E q., Capt. Steward, and Cap'. Lowe.
SUSPECTED CHILD MURDER.—Yeaterday forenoon, at
an early flour, the body ef a newly-burn female ceild was
found dead in a field near the towing path. Old Ford.
Tae deceased was tied up in a piece of old black lining
and brown paper. There were three biulees on the
head and arms, and the surgeon who was called was of
opinion that the deceased had been born alit e. The body
was taken to the workhouse fur a coroner's inquest
before Mr. W. Baker.

LIVERPOOL, Wednesday.—The Liverpool, New York,
and Philadelphia 'Steamship Company's steamer City of
Washington, sailed for New York shortly after noon to-
day, with 430 passengers and a moderate cargo ; the
steamer Kangaroo, belonging to the Banos company, is
now due with New York advices to the 18th, but it was
probable that she would be detained until the 20th to
bring the United States' maili of that date, in place of
the American mail steamer North Star.
THE INDIAN MUTINY. esd ay 's Gazette contains
dispatches from Major-General Sir A. Wilson, K.C.8.,
lately in command of the Delhi field force, bringing to
notice the services of certain officers which were not re-
ferred to in the previous despatch. The offizers thus
honourably mentioned are—Brevet Colonel T. Welch-
man, let European Bengal Fusiliers ; Lieutenant Lind,
of the Mooltanee Horse ; Lieutenant C. A. Renny, ,rich
troop, let Brigade, Horse Artillery ; Major T. Brind,
Major Scott, Capt. Bourchier, Captain Robert Fagan,
killed in action ; Lieutenants Evans, Blair, Boileau,
Ward, A. H. Heath, J. Fulton, Sir W. Hamilton, E.
L. Earle, R. T. Hare, R. do L. Sr. George, H. Chiches-
ter, D. S. Pemberton, S. Budd, T. E. Dickens, Hilde-
brand; Surgeon T. C. Brown, and Superintendent Sur-
geon C. M'Kinnon, M.D.
CELESTIAL PHENOMENON.—On Monday evening,
little bef,re ten o'clock, there was a very distinct ()slot
bition of the halo cal Lid the mock moon. For several
minutes it was bright enough to cast a faint shadow in
the moonshine. As it feded, prismatic colours became
apparent, the red being next the moon. The mock moon
was at the same altitude as the moon, and distant, west-
ward, 20 deg., 7 min., as measured by means of a
sextant. —Seaman.

Lablache's collection of snuff-boxes is coming to the
hammer. The great artist had' one hobny during life.
It wa. to surround himself with tabatieres of every ma-
terial, siza, form, and variety. Tney amount t.) hun-
dreds. They bear Imperial, Royal, princely, ducal, lite-
rary, and lady-fair ei, gies brilliant in diamond, pearl,
malachite, lipsis lazuli, or humble horn,