The Sun.
London, England, 1866-07-23 00:00:00

be eclipsed by an electric gun, the invention of A.

lady took it, and after hesitating a moment or two
said she would accept the amount offered. The
case did not appear to have passed from her
hand ; but pawnbrokers are cautious people, and
the clerk opened it and gave a glance. For the
bracelet at first offered another had been substi-

tuted in the twinkling of an eye, which was
of brass, and not worth 15f. The lady was con-

signed to a police officer, and it appears that she has
several times been more successful in playing this
slight-of-hand trick.
The wound received by the young Prince of

llohenzollern at the battle of Sadowa has pro Ted
so serious that it has been necessary to amputate
his left leg. Another leg is in course of manufac-

ure at Paris by an eminent mechanic, the artici

lation of which will be so exquisite that it is expected
the Prince will be able to use it almost as efficiently
as the natural leg. The Prince was in Paris last
winter, and was at almost all the fashionable balls.

It is to be feared that he never will again be able
to dance so well. As was the case with the " gouty
old Commodore," the balls have spoilt his dancing.
The Constitutionnel of to-day considers that the
concession mad& by Austria is of such importance
that it is useless to take any notice of the articles

more or less bellicose of the Prussian and Italian
journals, which ought to abstain from all discussions

calculated to render the work of diplomacy more

difficult."

There has been an explosion from gas in the
stables at the circus in the Champs Elysees, and
three persons are said to have perished in the flames.
Three horses were burnt to death. Had it not been

for great exertions the theatre would have been

entirely destroyed.

The performance, however,

will be resumed this evening.

The Reform League Demonstration.—Lette
from Mr. John Bright.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE SUN.

Sin, —The following letter has been received from
Mr. John Bright, M.P. Will you kindly publish
the same in your valuable paper.-1 am, &c.
GEO. HOWELL, Secretary.
Adelphi-terrace, w.C., July 22.

Rochdale, July 19.
Dear Sir,—l thank your Council for the invita-
tion to the meeting intended to be held in Hyde-
park on Monday next.
I cannot leave home for some days to come, and
therefore cannot be in London on the 23d inst.
I see that the chief of the metropolitan police
force has announced his intention to prevent the
holding of the meeting. It appears from this that
°
the people may meet in the parks for everyimportant
a n
pdurmp cosset
dabeutrththattwhehmic.h ought tobe most
meet
in theB streets is inconve-
nient, and to meet in the parks is unlawful-- this
is the theory of the police authorities of the metro-
polis !

You have asserted your right to meet on Primrose-
hill, and in 'Trafalgar-square. I hope after Monday
next no one will doubt your right to meet in llyde-
park.

If a public meeting in a public park is denied
you, and if millions of intelligent and honest men
are denied the franchise, on what foundation does
our liberty rest, or is there in the country any
liberty but the toleration of the ruling class ?
This is a serious question, btAt it is necessary to
ask it, and some answer must be given to it.
I am, very respectfully yours,

JOHN BRIGHT.
Mr. George Howell, Secretary to the
Reform League, 8, Adelphi-terrace,
Strand, London, W.C.

Mr. T. Mason Jones has sent to the Home Secre-
tary the copy of a resolution passed at " a meeting
of the committee to vindicate the right of public
meeting in the royal parks," which is thus worded :
—" That her Majesty's Secretary of State for the
Home Department, in prohibiting the proposed
reform meeting in Hyde-park, having claimed on
behalf of the Crown an unlimited discretionary
power with regard to properties vested in it ; and
that the Crown can of its sole will prevent the
people from holding public meetings in the parks,
this committee denies that the Crown has any such
power, and has determined to test the question by
holding a public meeting in favour of reform.in
Hyde-park, on Monday evening, the 23d instant,
at seven o'clock."

The following reply has been received :
" Home Department, July 21, 1866.
" Sir,—l beg to acknowledge the receipt of your
note enclosing a copy of certain resolutions intended
to be proposed at a meeting in Hyde -park. After
the statement which I felt it my duty to make in
the House of Commons, I had hoped that those who
had proposed to convene that meeting would have
forborne from calling it together. Should they still
persevere in their intention, which I trust they will
not, I have no other course left open to me but to
desire the police to act on the notice issued by Sir
Richard May nc.—l am,
sir, your obedient servant,
,4 S. H. WALPOLE.
" Mr. T. Mason Jones."

u
RESIGNATION OF CAPT. COOPER KEY. —We
that Capt. Astley Cooper,
Key, C. 8., of her
Majesty's ship Excellent, and Governor cf the Royal Naval
College at Portsmouth, has tendered his resignation to the
First Lord of the Admiralty, owing to the fact of a very
junior officer having been appointed to superintend the
fittings of gun carriages on board her Majesty's ships. It
is to be hoped that some steps will bo taken without loss of
time to assuage Capt. Key's wounded .feelings, as it is
scarcely likely that any officer of spirit will accept an ap-
pointment saddled with the annoyance to which we have
alluded,—Army and A'avy gazette.

eluded. The counsel contended that another juror
ought to have been chosen to replace him. The
other point was that a witness, who was first ex-
amined on oath, was afterwards irregularly heard to
explain some circumstances without being again
sworn. Both these objections are of some import-
ance. The Court overruled them both, and main-
tained the sentence, which will, no doubt, be car-
ried into immediate execution.
A very fashionably-dressed young lady has been
arrested for picking pockets opposite the Palais
Royal, where there are always crowds waiting for
the omnibus. Several purses were found upon her,
but she was clever enough to extract the money and
have it loose in her pocket. One lady, however,
from whom she had taken a purse, furnished
rather a curious piece of evidence against the thief.
The lady stated that in addition to the money there
were two false teeth in the purse. These two iden-
tical teeth were found among the loose cash in the
girl's pocket. Thus was the girl's guilt established
by evidence out of the complainant's own mouth if
not in spite of her teeth. This girl, although not
twenty, seems to have carried on a flourishing
trade, for she had created such a good position for
herself that she was about to marry an officer of
good family.
An amusing dodge of some rats at one of the
minor theatres is related. The man who had
charge of the lamps, finding that his oil had dimi-
nished very rapidly, watched for the supposed thief.
After waiting in silence for about au hour, about
a dozen rats successively made their appearance.
Some six or eight mounted on each other's backs,
so as to enable one to reach the top of the oil can.
The orifice was very small, but the uppermost rat
introduced his tail into the oil, and descending, al-
lowed his accomplices to lick the oil which the tail
had imbibed. The tale is literally a strange one,
but the truth of it is affirmed by the Epoque.
The fame of the Prussian needle-gun is likely to

Bazin, perfected by Mr. G. Renette, the Emperor's
armourer. One great improvement is that half of
the movements of the Prussian gun arc dispensed
with, and another is that is can be applied easily to
all the guns now in use. Prominent points, which
impede the movements of the soldier, the trigger
and lock, for instance, are done away with.
Swindling in Paris is practised with such finesse
and dexterity that it must be classed among the in-
dustrial arts. Here is another instance. A very
fashionably dressed young lady went a day or two
ago to a pawnbroker's office. She offered in pledge
a bracelet set with diamonds. The clerk proposed
to lend her 220 f., but she said that was not enough
—she had given I,ooof. for the article, and she'
wanted at least 400 f. The bracelet, which was in
a jewel case, was therefore handed back to her. The