The Sun.
London, England, 1866-06-13 00:00:00

teral lines in that country will give them such an
advantage that the Prussian army on the Saxon
frontier will almost inevitably be obliged to fall back
as far as the junction of Juterbogk, in order to effect
its concentration with the army In Silesia, and in
this case it is not improbable that the first battle of
the campaign may be fought here, where the nature
of the ground is admirably adapted for a battlefield.
That a retreat of the Prussian army from the im-
mediate frontier would be necessary for the purpose
of concentration is evident from the fact that there
is no lateral railway communication between Prus-
sian Saxony and Silesia. Were the Prussian force on
the Saxon frontier attacked, the army in Silesia
must come round by Berlin to aid it, and to give
time for this movement a retreat by the former
would be absolutely necessary. •
The Prussians in Prussian Saxony are spread in a
wide front, from the neighbourhood of Gotha to the
Elbe ; this portion of the army is under the com-
mand of Prince Frederic Charles. The army in
Silesia is under the command of the Crown Prince.
It is reported to be concentrating in the neighbour-
hood of Freyburg, and there are not wanting people
who assert that an invasion of Bohemia is deter-
mined upon, and that the Crown Prince is destined
to break the communication of Gen. Benedek, at
Prague, with Vienna, by seizing the direct line of
railway at Pardubitz. It must be remembered, how-
ever, that the fortresses of Koniggratz and Joseph-
stadt stand in the way of a Prussian army issuing
through the mountains against Pardubitz ; that if,
as is almost more than suspected, Saxony is in-
clined to side against Prussia, and admit Austrian
troops into her territory, General Benedek might
press Prince Frederic Charles hard, and even
push him back to Berlin before the Crown Prince
could reach the line of the Austrian communications.
Nor, if the communications with Vienna by that lirre
were broken, would the blow befatal to the Austrian
commander. He would still be able to shift his line
to the railway which runs through Linz, and might,
with superior forces, urge Prince Frederic Charles to
the very gates of Berlin before the Crown Prince
could come with his army to the help of the Prussians.
The extreme corner of Silesia beyond Oppeln is
not held by the Prussian troops. The reason of this
is that any corps placed in that part of the province
would inevitably be cut off and surrounded by the
Austrians were the latter to advance through the
Riesen-Gebirge ; and such an advance, in case of
Austria assuming the offensive, is quite possible, for
they would willingly press the Prussian left, roll it
up on the Elbe, and thus at the same time turn the
lines of the Oder and the Elbe, and cut the Prus-
sians off from the eastern provinces of the kingdom.
If, however, Saxony were to declare for Austria, it
is extremely probable that the vicinity of the Prus-
sian capital would tempt the Austrian General to
make an advance down the Elbe upon that town.
Should their advance be successful, there could be
little chance for the Prussian army except to with-
draw behind the Oder and make that river its base
of operations for a fresh campaign.
It has been reported lately in Berlin that the
Prussian Government has been in treaty with the
Duke of Altenburg, with the object of gaining that
Duchy as a base of offensive operations against
Southern Saxony. Whether there have been any
negotiations on the subject no one can tell, but it
appears extremely improbable that Altenburg
should be chosen as a base of operations when asmall
corps issuing from Leipsic could cut off the com-
munications of any troops there from Berlin.
Should there have been negotiations on the subject
of Altenburg, it is much more probable that they
were instituted with the intention of placing there
a corps d'armee to prevent an offensive attack from
Saxony against the Rhine provinces of Prussia, and
to keep an eye on the south-western members of the
Germanic Confederation, for the open hostility of
these to the Government at Berlin is fully antici-
pated.

Altenburg has also been spoken of much for the
last two or three days for another reason. The
cholera has made its appearance there, and as this
town is not far from the right flank of the Prussian
army in the field, it is to be feared this dreadful
scourge of armies will not long be absent from the
cantonments. Allprecautions are being taken against
it, and, if it should appear, the medical officers will
not be found sleeping at their posts. The Prussians,
even with the chance of cholera, are, according to
accounts, much better off than their possible ad-
versaries. Austrian deserters, of whom many have
already come over to the Silesian army, declare that
they have neither food, clothing, nor pay, and that
typhus fever has already laid a heavy hand on the
Kaiser's troops. Deserters do not generally give a
favourable account of the ranks they have quitted,
and these stories may doubtless be exaggerated, but
there is probably a good deal of foundation for their
reports. Sickness unfortunately has not been absent
from the Prussian lines ; 1,000 sick soldiers have

already been sent back from the front to Berlin,
and it is stated, on no common authority, that the
loss of the army by illness reduces the effective
men at the present time one per cent. a day.
The Prussian army in the field, as I have already
said, is cantoned on the frontier of Saxony and in
Prussian Silesia. There arc, however, two impor-
tant detachments, or rather auxiliary corps, in other
positions. One of these is a corps of 13,000 men
concentrated at Minden) on the southern frontier
of Hanover. This body of troops is intended to
watch the proceedings of Hanover, who has already

given symptoms of an inclination to arm, but with
the intention of placing her armaments at the dis-

posal of Prussia. The seconi is the Prussian con-
tingent in the Elbe Duchies. Until a few days

ago this contingent consisted of 13,000 men, but

when it was judged necessary that Prussia should
enter Holstein 6,000 men were conveyed from Ber-
lin in one night to Lauenburg. These entered Hol-
stein on the south, while Gen. Manteuffel, with a
portion of his original contingent, marched into the
Duchy on the north. The Austrian General Gab-
lenz could but fall back under protest before this
superior force.
At the present moment the Prussian army consists
of these two detachments above mentioned ; the
army in the field, which comprises eight corps
d'armee of the Line and the Corps of the Guard,
which forms a corps dal-nice of itself ; of the re-
serve troops for these corps d'arinee ; and of the gar-
rison troops for service in the fortresses. Besides
these, at the present moment a new corps d'arniee is
being raised, which will make a ninth corps d'arnzee
of the Line. These, with the Corps of the Guard,
will form the corps d'arinee in the field. The rais-
ing of another corps d'arniee seems to indicate ap-
prehensions of the imminence of war on the part of
the Prussian Government. Another signal of the
anticipation of battle has also been shown ; hospi-
tals have been established in about 20 of the princi-
pal towns of the kingdom, even in towns so far
north as some of those in the province of Pomerania.

A recent incident at the Court of Assizes of the
Seine will not have been forgotten.
trial for A man named
forgery, when
prosecutor,and the accused declared
D u b Dubuc
Domenc, wasth
e brought
that the charge was a fabrication between them
with the object of procuring an opportunity of pro-
testing openly in a court of justice against a con-
demnation by which the father of one and uncle of
the other had been condemned in 1850, the former
to hard labour for life, and the latter to 20 years of
the same punishment for murder. They hoped by
their stratagem to obtain a legal revision of that
sentence. The case was adjourned for the purpose
of an inquiry into the facts, and for an examination
into the mental state of the two men. The affair
was again brought forward two days back, and the
inquiry having shown that the charge of forgery
Was an invention as stated by both Dubuc and
Donienc, the former was acquitted with an admo-
nition from the judge for thus trifling with the
dignity of justice.
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Royal Caledonian Asylum.

The fifty-first anniversary festival of this society
was celebrated last night by a grand banquet, which
took place in the hall of the Freemasons' Tavern,
Queen-street. The hall was profusely and elabo-
rately decorated for the occasion with banners hung
round the walls, representing the coats of arms of
the different clans, and over the centre table were
suspended large flags, representing the insignia of
the British banner, the Union Jack, the Admiral of
the 'White, &c. _ _ _

The cross, or head table, was decorated with the
celebrated " Gold Demiloff Service" (modelled and
chased by Chantrey), and valued at £30,000 ; and
the four other tables with a profusion of silver cen-
tres and race prizes, supplied to the committee, at
their request, specially for this occasion, by Messrs.
C. F. Hancock, Son, and Co., of 39, Bruton-street,
the whole forming a recherche collection of unusual
magnitude.

The present anniversary derived additional inte-
rest from the fact of its being the first public ban-
quet presided over by his Royal Highness the Duke
of Edinburgh, K.G. Amongst the distinguished
guests present were his Grace the Duke of
Buccleuch, K.G., the Dukes of Argyll, Montrose,
and Roxburgh ; the Marquis of Abercorn, K.G. ;
the Earls of Fife and Dalkeith ; the Lord Provost
of Edinburgh ; Lords Abercromby, Elcho, Colville
of Culross, and H. Scott, M.P. ; Viscounts Strath-
allan and Kirkcaldie ; Baronets—Sir J. H. Max-
well, N. M. Lockhart, T. M. Cunninghame, J.
Matheson, W. Fergusson, C. R. MacGrigor, A.
Alison, M. R. S. Stewart, and W. G. Stirling ; Ad-
miral Sir Hope Johnstone ; Rear-Admirals Sir G.
B. Middleton, Sir J. D. Hay ; Vice-Admiral Sir A.
Milne, Bart. ; Mr. Alderman and Sheriff Gibbons,
R. Harbour, Esq. (High Sheriff of Cheshire),
Lieutenant-Colonel Farquharson, P. McLagan,
Esq., M.P., and a large number of other gentlemen
of the army and navy, &c.
The objects of the institution will be best under-
stood by the following extract quoted from the
anniversary appeal :
" The object of this truly and valuable national
asylum is to maintain and educate the children of
Scottish soldiers, sailors, and marines, who have
died or have been disabled in the service of Great
Britain ; and also the children of deserving but in-
digent Scottish parents. Considerably more than
1000 children have been clothed, educated, and pro-
vided for since the incorporation of the charity.
There are at present 110 children in the institution
who receive a sound English education. Year by
year the number of applications for admission in-
creases, and at the next election many urgent and
distressing cases will be found, which, if sufficient
funds are subscribed, can obtain protection within
the walls of the Royal Caledonian Asylum."
The usual loyal and patriotic toasts were pro-
posed and honoured in a most enthusiastic manner.
In proposing the toast of the evening,
His Royal Highness the Duke of EDINBURGH
said that, in introducing this toast, he felt not a',
little embarrassed, as his hearers were, no doubt,
already conversant with the objects of the institu-
tions whose interests they had assembled to promote.
No words that he could utter would advance the in-
terests of the society in their estimation. He felt
great pleasure in promoting in any small way the
interests of a charity of which the first president
was his grandfather, the Duke of Kent, of which
his lamented father was a patron, and which still
enjoyed the patronage of the Prince and Princess
of Wales. The asylum had a strong claim on their
sympathies, because it protected not only the chil-
dren of brave Scotchmen who had been disabled by
land and sea, but of men who in the peaceful pur-
suits of life had deserved well of their friends in
London, but on whose honest efforts fortune had
not smiled so favourably as she might have done.
The charity was prosperous, and had little cause to
complain ; in addition to its supporting and educat-
ing 110 children, it had at the same time space for
150 children within its walls, and considering the
wealth of this great metropolis, they ought to do
all in their power to extend the benefits of the in-
stitution to larger numbers. Although space was
so valuable in London that was not wanted, but
money, and such a state of things required remedy-
ing, and he trusted their efforts would be success-
ful, and he, therefore, had much pleasure in pro-
posing " Prosperity to the Royal Caledonian Asy-
lum, and may the offspring of the brave never want
a friend." (Loud cheers.)
The remainder of the toasts comprised, " The
noble president of the Asylum, his Grace the Duke
of Buccleuch, K.G.," proposed in complimentary
terms by M.P.H. the Duke of Edinburgh ; " 11.R.11.
the Duke of Edinburgh, K.G.," proposed by the
Duke of Buccleuch ; " The Highland Society of
London, the Caledonian Society of London, and
the Scottish Hospital ;" " The Lord Provost of
Edinburgh and the Sheriffs of the City of Loudon;"
" The Ladies," &c., all of which were cordially re-
ceived and duly honoured.
The proceedings terminated at a late hour.

IRELAND,

DUBLIN, June 12.

The coroner's inquest commenced yesterday on
the remains of the six persons who lost their lives
by the fire in Westmoreland-street on Thursday
evening last—namely, Mrs. Delany ; her three
daughters, Sarah, Bridget, and Maria ; Elizabeth
Kavanagh, a servant ; and Mr. A. J. Strahan. The
inquest was held by Dr. White, city coroner, at the
Circus, Lower Abbey-street, in which a large num-
ber of citizens assembled, while a crowd of people,
including many women, stood outside in the street.
The Lord Mayor and several members of the Cor-
poration were present, that body being represented
by its law agent, Mr. Smith. Mr. Coffey, Q.C.,
represented Mr. Delany, and Mr. J. Hone appeared
for
.the Ballast Board. The jury having been
sworn, the coroner addressed them on the object
for which he had called them together, and re-
marked that within his recollection nothing so
melancholy had ever occurred in the city of Dublin.
The subject was one that required the most
strict, searching, and painstaking investigation. In
reply to an article which had appeared in the Free-
man's Journal that morning, he stated that no tribu-
nal in the country had such unlimited power to
inquire into all circumstances connected with violent
deaths as the coroner and his jury, and it was his
intention not only to go into the immediate cause of
the deaths, which every one knew, but into the an-
tecedent circumstances, and to ascertain why it was
that those six human beings, within five minutes'
walk of two fire escapes, in presence of a fire bri-
gade and fire engines, were deprived of their lives
without any successful effort being made for their
rescue. This was due to the surviving friends of the
sufferers, to the corporation, and to the men who
had the control and management of the appliances
which that body had provided for the protection of
life from fire in the city. .

Professor Shaw having stated that several stu-
dents of Trinity College who saw the fire were ready
to come forward as witnesses, and some other gen-
tlemen having declared their willingness to testify as
to what they saw, the coroner said they would con-
fine themselves at present to the identification of the
remains, after which the inquest would be adjourned
till to-day. The jury then retired to view the remains.
When they returned Mr. James Delany was exa-
mined. He stated that he had left the house at 8
o'clock, when the shutters were put up, and the
shop was finally closed. He then went with his son
for a sail down the river, but as the tide was going
out fast the boat was put back, and he joined his
son again on Carlisle-bridge about half-past 8, when
there was no sign of fire. They then walked down
the quay at the north side, crossed in the ferry boat,
sat awhile in the house of a friend on the City quay,
and then walked leisurely homeward, arriving about
10, previous to which they had heard nothing of
the fire. When he saw the house it was on fire from
top to bottom, and the roof had fallen in. He was
told his family were safe, and he ran to neighbour-
ing houses, where he hoped to find them. The
coroner said he would not close Mr. Delany's
evidence, so that at any time it might be necessary
to ask him any further questions he could be re-
called. Mr. Simon Strahan said—" lam brother of
Anthony James Strahan, who is supposed to be one
of the dead bodies. I knew the family of Mr. James
Delany intimately. My brother was also intimately
acquainted there. I have looked at the remains of