The Sun.
London, England, 1858-09-09 00:00:00

FIGHT BETWEEN A TRAGEDIAN AND
AN EAGLE.

(From the Cincinnati Commercial.)

Early. on last Saturday morning the tragedian
Murdoch, who is now reposing at his farm, near
Loveland, was aroused from his sleep by a confu-
sion of noises denoting the greatest terror—dogs
barked, pigs squealed, cows bellowed, turkeys
gobbled, ducks quacked, women screamed, and
lesser noises split the wondering ear. Springing
from his couch, the " eminent" instinctively seized
upon the first weapon that presented itself, which
happened to be the first " Macbeth sword," and
rushing down stairs and out upon the portico,
in a costume amounting almost to " airy naked-
ness," he there struck his favourite attitude, and in
loud thundering tones :

" What means this wild alarm ? "

The servants, struck dumb with with previous
terror, the scene was rendered all the greater by
the trogic wildness of the questioners's eye, could
only only point to the lawn and grow more pallid.
Turning his eyes—now fixed and settled in that
awful squint so telling on the stage—hi the direc-
tion indicated, the impromptu Macbeth drank in at
one big gaze the bloody horror that had wrought
the alarm. A monstrous eagle, which, to the strain-
ing eyes of the tragedian, resembled in size the
fabled " Roc " of " The Arabian Nights-" had
fastened its talons in a young calf but a few hours
old, plucked out its eyes, and was endeavouring to
rice with the struggling and bleeding victim, whose
cries were drowned in the wilder bellowings of the
frantic dam as she charged furiously around the
assailant. Resolving himself at once into the cham-
pion of injured innocence, the " eminent " struck
another attitude, and with the war cry,

" Come veal, or woe,
Igo, I go ! "
made a splend charge, his good sword flashing like
a meteor in the first rays of the morning sun. But
the imperial bird was wide awake, and seeing in
the tragedian

"A foemanworthy of his steai,"
dropped the calf, and with open mouth and
poised pinions was ready to pounce upon " the
committee of one," observing which, and re-
flecting upon the proverbial tenderness of sbil-
ing shirts, and the utter futility of attempting even
by the most violent stretch of imagination to con-
vert that vulnerable garment into a coat of mail,
he came to a halt, took another look at the defiant
bird, then wheeled round, and in the sullen lan-
guage of Macbeth to Macduff, exclaimed—

" I'll not fight with thee,"
and beat a rapid and inglorious retreat, upon which
the bird of Jove resumed its attack upon the calf,
over which it flapped its broad wings in triumph ;
but that triumph was short, for Master James Mur-
doch, the tragedian's son, an intrepid little boy,
only nine years and a half old, appeared upon the
scene with a double-barrelled gun, and at the first
discharge brought his imperial majesty to the
ground. He measured six feet two inches from tip
to tip of wings, and will be preserved as a memento
of Master James's prowess.

By the Indus, just arrived at Southampton from
Alexandria, we learn that her Majesty's ship Princess
Royal was at anchor off the bar at Alexandria, and the
Vigilant, steam despatch vessel, in harbour there on the
24th of August. On the 28th her Majesty's ships Hiber-
nia steamer, and Caradoc, were at Malta, where also the
Perseverance, troop steamship, was embarklng, troops for
Corfu. Her Majesty's troopship Urgent left the previous
day for the same destination. The Commander-in-Chief
with the squadron were at sea cruising, but were not seen
by the Indus. •

LIVERPOOL, Sept. B.—The fine new screw steam-
ship North Briton, belonging to the Montreal Ocean Mail
Company's fleet, sailed hence to-day on her first trip across
the Atlantic. She had on board the Canadian mails, 225
passengers, of whom 125 were first cabin, and a full cargo.
The Royal Mail steamer Niagara, will leave for Halifax
and Boston on Saturday. The screw steamer City of
Washington, with the United States' mails from New
York to the 26th ult., and the Nova Scotian, from Quebec,
with the Canadian mails to the 28th, are now due, and
may be hourly expected.
REPRESENTATION OF GREENWICH.—An active
canvass is said to be going on among the employes of the
dockyardS in Deptford and IVoolmich in favour of a Con-
servative and Government candidate in the person of Sir
Richard Saunders Dundas, who was superintendent of
Deptford Dockyard in 1851 and 1852, and when there
achieved an unusual amount of popularity among all classes.
In 1855 he was appointed Commander of the Baltic fleet,
and was created K.C.B. at the close of the Russian war.
Sir Richard is at present one of the Lords of the Admiralty.
A PET FISH.—The youngest of the blenny family
(domesticated in my aquarium) I took under my especial
e are, and christened him " Little Jock." It may sound
somewhat doubtful, but I positively assert that this blenny
learned in a very short time to answer to his name. Upon
calling him he would instantly make his appearance, and
struggle to get his body on the edge of the tank. When I
placed him on the palm of my hand, and titillated his little
back with my soft pencil, he exhibited evident signs of
pleasure. I mentioned this most remarkable instance of
tameness and docility to many of my friends. They all
conceived that I exaggerated the fact until they had ocular
demonstration themselves. Yet, after all, it can only take
place among those little romances in which natural history
abounds—one of those narrations which, while believing,we
almost doubt, and yet while doubting must believe.—Sea-
side and Aquarium ; or, Anecdote and Gossip on Marine
Zoology, by John Harper.
SUICIDE IN THE HOUSE OF DETENTION.—A
very determined and deliberate act of suicide was com-
mitted during the night of Tuesday in the House of Deten-
tion, by an Italian named Giuseppe Frigerio, who was
there on remand from the Bow-street Police-court, on a
charge of having obtained £2O, by false pretences, from
Auguste Filliette. The deceased was a gentlemanly-look-
ing, well-dressed man, and seemed of a peculiarly cheerful,
buoyant disposition. When his cell was unlocked yesterday
morning the deceased was found suspended by the neck
from the ironwork of the "hopper," or ventilator of the
window. It appeared that he had, by some means, got
a quantity of worsted braiding off a large frieze overcoat he
had with him ; this he had doubled four times and knotted
in several places. One end he passed over the projecting
bar of the hopper, and made fast to the iron sash of the
window and, to prevent the sharp edge of the projecting
bar cutting the braid, he had protected it with a piece of
thick cloth. His bed-rig and the frieze coat were so ar-
ranged that when he kicked the cell stool, upon which he
must have stood when he tied the cord round his neck, it
should fall upon them without making any noise, but he
must have knocked the stool away from under him with
great force, for it was found at the opposite end of the cell.
When he was discovered life had been extinct for some
hours.
THE FRENCH COLONIES.—The Revue Coloniale
of last month furnishes the following information relative
to the present state of immigration in the French colonies_.
The colony of Reunion had, on the Ist Jan. last, 0.3,110
immigrants, of whom 36,144 were Indians, 541. Chinese,
only 50 227.
Oceania. On the Ist Jan., 1857, the number wasbthe,
en_
16,509 Africans, and 71 natives of, the different islands of
This abundant supply of workmen is explaed to
th
remium given.
trance of Indians and blacks. The ordinary
and a free pas-
couragement which Reunion has always afforded
o e en-
is 500 f. The wanes paid ig-about 10f. a month,ra _
gua liked to each immi-
grant.sigebackTthoethelinrdcioaunnstryan•the most
•t, labourers ; the Chinese are not in
valued by the colonists is
always Africans are highly
great repute. on the
French Guiana in 1857 only received 250
immigrants, and the total number there Ist of
January, 1853, was 1,315, of whom 872 were Africans and
443 Indians. According to a contract entered into with
but from the difficulties which arose
a house at Nantes,_ the premium given for each adult Afri-
price rose to 500 f. The wages paid
icnanrelcvniasitininglBtsb7jnrt9hle.i
are on an average 12f. 50c. a month, with food and medical
attendance. Martinique, in June, 1858, had 4,927 im
migrants, of whom 4,412 were Indians and 515 Africans.
This small number of immigrants is not sufficient for the
wants of the colony, and the colonists are anxious that im-
migration should be encouraged by every possible means.
Guadaloupe is better off in this respect than Martinique.
In June, 1858, it had 698 Africans, 2,806 Indians, and 141
natives of Madeira, making together 3,645 immigrants.
The wages are on an average 12f. 50c., exclusive of board,
lodging, and medical attendance. The natives of Madeira,
when once they are inured to the climate, make excellent
labourers, but this takes place with difficulty, and only
when they An employed laigb, 1405 of the oloY,