The Sun.
London, England, 1858-02-04 00:00:00

MRTBOROLOGICAL PHENOMENON.

Last night (Sunday, Jan. 31, 1858), at 10.40 p
when about half a mile from Ferns Plat, Cernwal, says
a correspondent, I was walking amid moonlight, which
at that instant was perfectly clear, but which had be-n
obscured from various masses of clouds, heavily charged
with water, still floating in the air, I saw in an oppc•
site direction (or at least 140 dogs. from the moon),
some where in the north-west, an object which I thought
in my confusion to be another moon, horned, about
five or six days old, of the usual size and the accus-
tomed brilliant orange hue. I had scarcely time to
examine its form when it became a little don-
gated and commenced falling, somewhat gradually,
in a spiral line ; the general course of the descent
being nearly perpendicular. In its fall it revolved
regularly around a perpendicular axis, the diameter of
the spiral line being about three times the length of the
crescent. The horns of this apparent moon during the
revolutions were sometimes turned plainly towards the
west, which was their first position, and alternat- ly
with equal distinctness they faced the east; and, although
in its downward progress it threw off sparks as large as
orlinary meteors, it preserved its full size and undi•
tninished brilliancy until it disappeared in the horizon
(which, as I stood on the side of a bill that intervened,
was not very remote).
I confess I felt at first a little alarm, and a perturbed
imagination brought to my memory the flaming sword
which Josephus speaks of as being suspended over
Jerusalem (if I recollect aright—l have not that author
at hand), which preceded a great catastrophe ; but com-
mon sense soon came to my rescue, and convinced me
that the accumulation of gases and other chemical
substances is a natural event in the atmosphere ; that
these bodies sometimes spontaneously ignite, and may
develope themselves in any capricious form that the force
of the explosion, assisted by the wind, may direct. So
the idea of an omen was at once dispelled.
Bright objects, about as conspicuous as Venus or
Jupiter, shoot horizontally or obliquely through the
lower sky in single motion so frequently as to call forth
no comment; but a luminous body so gigantic in its
dimensions, and revolving so peculiarly in its descent,
as this meteor was to me a strange phenoinen•a ; and
its singularity is my apology for troubling you with this
report.

HOW WE COME TO HAVE REFUGEES IN

ENGLAND.

The summer before last (writes a correspondent) while
residing with my family at Boulogne, I witnessed on two
or three occasions the shipment of batches of Italian
refugees on board the Folkestone boat for delivery in
England.

was particularly struck by one lot wbo were brought
down to the harbour, esn)rted by a large body of police.
Judging from the extretne attention shown them by
their guardians and the number of those who were
linked, in no affectionate bonds, to the wrists of their
conductors, I concluded that the party would form
a very pretty addition to Eoglish society. Two or
three of them appeared men of education, and most
of them were of the exact type which formed, in
Cassius' eye, the peifected conspirator. Several
of them had hunches of black bread in their hands. All
of them were buttoned up in rags and half-famished in
appearance. What I learnt of them was, that they had
been passed on from police-station to police-station, and
were not wanted in France. •

I well remember the insulting gestures and coarse
oaths which were flung at the gendarmes as the boat
left the quay, and felt satisfied from the violence of one
or two of them that had the means been in their halide
they would have left with those gentry Homo more de-
finite token of their opiuion of France and its authorities.
Some six weeks afterwards I twice met two of these
men still buttoned up in their rags, but as erect and
defiant as ever, parading in
Do you not think it possible that this lot might have
furnished a band for the Rue Lepelletier business ?

SOUTH DEVON RAILWAY.—At the meeting of the
beard of directors, on Tueseay, it was resolved on
recommending, at the corning half-yearly meeting, a
dividend at the rate of 1/. 13s, per cent, per anatnu on
the consolidated stock.
t. REPRESENTATION OF DEVONFORT.—A. meeting was
held on Tuesday evening, in the Town-hall of Devonport,
to hear an address front Mr. James Wilson M.P. for
that borough, who had been prevented by official busi-
ness from attending the meeting two or three months
ago, at "which his colleague, Sir Erskine Perry, ap-
peared. He spoke at considerable length upon the
l
principal topic of the day ; and the Plymouth Mail
says that, when he sat down, an elected
had not sarcastically
inquired why the bills announcing the meeting
been headed " A Lecture on India," as that had been
almost the only subject referred to. A. resolution,
n,
was
expressing confidence in the hon. gentlerna
unanimously adopted.
THE BELGIAN MAIL STEAMERS.--It
wth
official letter received from Brussels
Government mail packet Dement appearsatthe Bfreolnagiaann
2inlstSohimt.ucaha
danger in the gale of the morning
ofn tea
not
reported. It is stated that she
shipped a sea while
crossing the Stroom Bank, near r Ostend, which carrie I
away her steering wheeland injured two men at the
tiller, and other seas causingmore damage, and the
during
er
dtebeematei
dm ei
toiftucplreaadriz
away and refitting, the comm t
water falling considerably
and
to attempt to make the
Terneuse
the Schldtharbour, and therefore ran r
then to one , whence Flushing, and
the mails and paseeneers were forwarded to Ghent.
A SSA RUSSIAN FACTS,—we ,have seen a private
letter from a gentleman occupying an important official
uosition, who has just returned from the Black Sea, in
'welee, after stating that the American engine, rs have
only succeeded in raising two of the many RUPS'an ships
sunk at the time of the war in the harbour of Sebastopol,
and that they consequently must have lost a large sum
of money by their failure, he says that nothing has been
done or is doing, towards the rebuilding of the docks
and fortifications of that place, while the forts of Odessa
have been dismantled. The writer of the letter accounts
for the latter fact, by supposing that if Odessa be thus
made a purely commercial port, we should net, in the
event of another war with Ru-sia, seek to destroy it. At
Nicolaieff two line-of-battie ships, with engines of BCO
horse power each, are now in the course of construction.
—Morning Advertiser.
ENTERTAINMENT TO CARMEN.--00 Monday night Miss
Catherine Sinclair, encouraged doubtless by the success
which attended her efforts to promote social union
amongst the upper ranks of Eliaburgh sociel, extended
her operations to the lower classes, and entertained some
300 cabmen to supper in the Lower Music Hall. In
order to suit elle business arrangements of the company
the late boar of half-palt ten was fixed for assembling,
and about that time the guests began to flock in and
take their places. By-and-by, when the long benches
were filled, the show of glossy black broadcloth and
snowy cravats displayed by the more elderly portion of
the fraternity was highly imposing, while the wonderful
variegated neckties and gorgeous pins in which many
of the younger trenches indulged greatly enlivened
the. view. At first, when they took their seats,
the company on the whole were rather stiff and slightly
uneasy ; but as the evening drew on, when the
supper was over, and the speeches were begun, all
bashfulness wore off, and they entered heartily and
enthusiastically into the spirit of the entertainment. The
tables were loaded with tempting joints of ruddy beef,
smoking steak-pies, heaps of bread and butter, piles of
"cookies," and kettles full of tea and coffee ; and grace
haviag been said, the cornpeny set to with heart and
will, doing ample justice to the abundant fare. Miss
Cetherine Sinclair and her sister, accompanied by seve-
ral ladies, occupied a prominent position on a raisal
platform at one side of the hall ; while, at the heads of
the tables, various gentlemen acted as croupers. The
Very Rev. Dean Ramsay occupied the chair ; and
addresses were delivered by Dr. Guthrie, Rev. Mr.
Mackenzie, Rev. Mr. Robertsore of Greyfriars ; Rev.
Dr. Hanna, and Professor Miller. In the ceurso of
the evening, Mr. James Stewart, cais-driver, retuned
thanks for himself and his brethren to the speakers, and
to the benevolent lady to whom they were indebted.—
Edinburgh, Express.
EUROPEANS AND INDIANS.—At a dinner of welcome
given by the wealthy natives of Bombay to the European
soldiers recentiy landed from England, Lord Elphinetone
took the opportunity of reading, something in the shape
of a lesson to those who confound in one common dis-
like all classes of Indians. He affirmed " that with very
few exceptions the revolt ha I been purely military, and
that the great body of the people had nothing to do with
it ;" that in Oude only had there been anything like a
popular adhesion to their cause, while in Rohilcund the
feeling had been decidedly in our favour. He added
that in Seinde, where there were those who owed us no
good will, whose greatness had been extinguished by us,
and whose power had been reduced or nullified by our
successes, the conduct of the mutineers and their associ-
ateehad been viewed with disgust and indignation, and
he quoted words spoken by Sarre Mahomed, one of the
ex.Ameers of Sounds, to the effect " that this was not
like meetingthe English in the field, and that the fiends
who murdered women and children deserved the
punishment of Sodoru and Gomorrah." These expres-
glens Lord Elphinstone dwelt on with pleasure, because
he said he had heard that the profession now made by
the natives of Bombay were censideree insincere
anti
hollow by some who believed that they should have teen
publicly made at 811 earlier period, when the symptoms
of the re-establishment of our rule were less decided
than they had sicce become. Against such senti-
ments Lord Elphinstoue considered it his duty to
protest, reminding his hearers that the wea'tty na-
tives of Bombay had been among the first to
come forward with subscriptions in aid of the sufferers
in tho mutinies and expressions of indignation at the
cruelties perpetrated in various parts of the couetry ;
that Bombay was the ollest possession of the English in
India ; and that during 200 years no attempt had ever
been made to subvert our rule. All this and more to the
same effect, Lord Elphinstone urged on his listeners,
whom, let us hope, he convinced of the truth of his
views.—Zeiler from Bombay.
SILKS AS THEY WERE AND AS THEY ARE.—Few
things probably have been subject to more strange
vicissitudes than the price of silks. Prior to the recent
monetary panic they became higher than had been
known for years, and now that the fever of the Money
Market has subsided, prices are again advancing. Th a
is a Serious consideration to purchasers. It happens,
however, that a wel&nown house, which had the good
fortune to make large investments in Lyons and other
silks during the panic, is now enabled to offer a stock,
said to be choice and varied, at 20 per cent. below the
current rates. To tie lady community this is of some
importance; and when it is stated that the firm referred
to is that. of Jay in Regent-street (the London mourning
warehouse), it will be accepted as a sufficient guarantee
for quality), ae well as the advantages of moderate cost.