The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-15 00:00:00

The State of Texas.

The Convention of the people of Texas has
closed its sessions. The work done will scarcely
be as acceptable to the people of the loyal
States as that of some other of the States which
were in rebellion. The Ordinance of Secession
has been simply repealed, which implies that
it was lawful when it was passed, and
remained legal during the war. The Convention
adopted a resolution renouncing the right of seces-
sion hereafter, which is like a declaration after one
has been knocked down that the assault was justi-
fiable, but that it shall not be repeated. The war
debt of Texas is repudiated, but this measure was
not graciously accorded. It was resisted by the
ultra secession force in the Convention, and only
carried after a fierce struggle. The negro is to be
allowed to testify in any suit in which one or more
persons of his colour are parties. If the suit is be-
tween white men a negro may not testify, although
the rights of plaintiff or defendant may depend
upon his evidence. This so-called principle exists
in the laws of most of the Southern States, and it is
an example of the force of the old adage about
" cutting off noses to spite faces." It is not of the
slightest_ interest to a black man that he shall have
the privilege of giving testimony in a quarrel be-
tween white men. If the plaintiff might have won
his case with the testimony of the freedman, he
loses it for the want of such evidence. So, if the
defendant is unjustly mulct, when he might have
established his case by the testimony of black wit-
nesses, it is his loss, and not that of the persons who
are incompetent to testify. The tenaciousness with
which this most absurd regulation is clung to by
the Southern people, in spite of their own interests
and in spite of common sense, shows that reason has
not yet resumed its sway over the minds of most
of them. It is a pitiful evidence of spite founded
ur on old prejudices, which can do no harm except
to those who indulge in it. The negro may hold
property in Texas, and sue and be sued. This is just,
and there is to be no distinction in most of the laws
between him and the whites. Common schools are
to be established for the benefit of white children ;
but coloured children are not to be allowed the
privilege of education, although the parents have to
pay their share of taxation for the support of the
white schools. This is highly unjust and unchris-
tianlike, but the Texans consider it a most excel-
lent policy. In order to have the control of the
State for some time the Secessionists have inserted
a clause in the proposed Constitution that no person
shall be eligible to be a candidate for the Legislature
who has not lived in the State five years. The in-
ention of this regulation is to prevent Northern-
men, who may settle in Texas, from having any
political influence during the specified time. This
Constitution is to be submitted to the vote of the
people, as a whole, without the privilege of object-
ing to any particular part. By this means it is
hoped to force the adoption of the entire instrument.
The election is to take place in June, at which time
State officers are also to be chosen. The Unionists
in the State are a very strong minority, and they
intend to oppose the Constitution because it is not
sufficiently liberal, and also to run their own candi-
dates for State officers. It is not probable that
they will succeed, but the contest will be sharp and
exciting, much more so than the election in any
other Southern State since the overthrow of the
Rebellion.

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE. This Day.

LONDON, May 15.—Wind this day at noon—North-
Easterly; moderate breeze, and fine weather, but rather
cloudy.

-
PLYMOUTH, May 14.—Wind W.—Sailed--Lord Nelson,
for Melbourne.

OFE PLYMOUTH, May 14.—Arrived--Wave Queen, from
Algoa Bay.

CLYDE, May 14.—Wind S.W.—Sailed—Abbie Thomas,
from Trinidad.

IRY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH. 1

GRAVESEND, Tuesday Morning.
Arrived, May 14—Eliza, from Drontheim ; Betsy, Caro-
line, Baltic, and George—all from Dantsic; Red Coat, from
Sines; Olga, from Porto Rico; Vest, from Windau ;
Battrinda, from Konigsberg ; Storm Nymph, from St.
Lucia ; Asia, from Sydney ; Laura, from St. Kitts ;
Favourite, from Antigua ; Mary Ann, from Memel ; Anti-
cella, from New York; Energy, from Windsor; General
Slade, from Guernsey.
Arrived, May 15—Mellona, from Guernsey.
DEAL, Tuesday Morning.
Passed, May 14—Rowena, from London, for Otago.

A well-dressed young man, speaking with a
foreign accent, took a cab the en
Boulevard Montmartre and tolvdthineg beforecoachm lastant on theodrive
about and bring him back to the same spot. The man
proceeded to do so, and when crossing the Place Louvois
he heard a pistol shot fired in the vehicle, and on stopping
found that the young man had blown out his Mains.
From papers found on him he appears to have been a
Spaniard, named Ferdinand D--, 27 years of ago, and a
commercial traveller.
Two trucks laden with straw, forming part of a
goods' train, shunted info a siding near the St. Denis sta-
tion of the Northern Railway, were set on fire the day
before yesterday by sparks from a passing locomotive, and
were entirely destroyed. Fortunately they were detached
in time to save the other part of the train. The loss is
estimated at 6,000 f. for the trucks, and 700 f. for the straw,
which belonged to a forage dealer at St. Denis.
" We learn by a letter from Berlin," says the
Pays, "that the War Department has taken measures to
make the landwehr occupy all the garrisons, so as to leave
the whole active troops available; and that it has caused
the four military schools to be closed, and the pupils sent
off to the armOYL.;
TIIE R: IN LIVERPOOL. Several more
deaths h CHOLERA
occurred on board the Jessie Munn and at the
workhouse, while the disease:has also made its appearance
at the Bank-hall warehouses, and in a nest of low lodging-
houses near the Sailors' H
ppoatriteeedteareenthhoseearodf
atcCatholic
il, h9ca clergyman
u Helvetia,
Amongst the deaths re-
ported
Fathertto
the Callaghan,
Eldon-street a
Roman
Olt this Tfhlif#.
tkih gßeolsos7tea surgeon, who attended the
..
t yisitWg ratiato.