The Sun.
London, England, 1866-11-12 00:00:00

The Giraffes at the Zoological Gardens.

All friends of the Zoological Society will be mud
shocked to hear of the great loss the society has sus
tained by the death of two giraffes by fire. On
Smallpeice and Mundy, ran to the o ce in le ar-
dens crying out, " The giraffe house is on fire."
Mr. Thompson and the other keepers were not long
in arriving at the spot. Dr. Murie, the anatomical
prosector of the society, happened to be in the office;
he immediately ran with the keepers to the giraffe
house, which he found filled with a dense volume of
smoke. The two keepers having arrived a minute
or two before Dr. Murie, had opened the windows,
which he judiciously ordered to be immediately
closed. They then proceeded to throw water on the
burning straw, and going into the stable in the
most plucky manner, along with Scott, the eland
keeper, trampled out the flames as well as they
could. As the smoke cleared off a little they found
the two giraffes, mother and child, stretched on the
ground motionless. They hauled them out as quickly
as possible into the yard, but alas ! found them
pulseless and not breathing. They then re-entered
the stable and quenched the fire. The other two
giraffes would most probably have fallen victims to
the fire had not the doors of their stable been wisely
thrown open and the animals turned into the yard
immediately the fire was discovered. They were,
when first discovered, breathing badly, and stooping
their heads, but otherwise they were not seriously
affected. The larger one of the two has caught a
bad cold, of which we trust, however, it will
soon get better. The origin of the fire is a matter
of mystery. It was confined to the eastward of the
three compartments of the giraffe house. The
straw, from some unknown cause, became lighted,
walls with
are
r e the
b li s litter,te blistered
and the flames must shortly have spread over the
floor of the stable. It is supposed that a match
uamust,npdo asor
iondme
se oe flvt the
tay,
on have
fire. rinihneNiXcaeld king about, trod
animals,igot r
n it
about 6ft. or Bft., and it is a merey that it did not
extend further. By the kindness of Dr. Murie I
have been enabled to examine the two victims of this
sad accident. It is very painful to see these two beau-
tiful creatures, but lately iu the highest health and
vigour, now motionless and inanimate. The measure-
ments of the giraffes are as follows :—From nose to tip
of tail, large animal, 12ft.; small, 4ft. 9 fin. ; from top
of head to hoof, large animal, 12ft. Sin. ; small, 6ft.
llin. ; length of mane, large animal, sft. 2in. ; small,
2ft. lin. ; head, large animal, 2ft. 2in. ; small, lit.
Sin. ; foot to shoulder, large animal, Bft: ; small,
4ft. 10iin. ; horn, large animal, Gin. ; small, 31in. ;
car, large auitnal, llin. ; Sin. ; tail, with
hair, large animal, sft. 2in. ; small, lft. 6in. The
poor animals are much scorched about the belly and
legs, and the left hind hoof of the smaller one is
quite loose from the _effects of the fire. The imme-
diate cause of death was suffocation from the smoke,
combined with the shock from the intense heat of
the burning straw. I understand the animals are
heavily insured, but this will not replace the noble-
looking mother giraffe and her pretty little young
one. _Frank Buckland in Land and Water.

The Morning Advertiser states that at the forth-
coming Paris Exhibition space has been allotted by '
the French Imperial Commission to the Bible So-
ciety of France in the park surrounding the build-
ing ; and with this society the committee of the
" Bible Stand" at the Crystal Palace and at the Ex-
hibition of 1862 have male arrangements, and pur-
pose erecting a large stand, permission having also
been granted to circulate the Scriptures in French,
Italian,German, Spanish, Russian, English, Hebrew,
Arabic, Turkish,
o &c.
It
oks, as also the Acts of
s proposed to distribute
the fur Gospels
the Apostles and Epistle to the Romans, &c., in the
above languages to the people freely. The Scrip-
tureso osl in srnl b
circulated are to be of the authorised Protes-
tant version. (This refers, we must suppose, to the
English books only.) The books will cost about
£2 10s. per 1,000, and judging from the extent of
the work in London in 1862, it is not improbable
that 2,000,000 may be required, which will cost
£5,000, in addition to which about £l,OOO is requi-
site to defray the expense of the stand and for the
payment of eight or ten helpers. For this purpose
the committee are now making an appeal.

become a question whether the knapsack must not
be abolished, as movements at the double for any
length of time with the weight of knapsack and ac-
coutrements would necessarily induce an amount of
fatigue which in action would tell severely upon the
soldier. the range of our breech-loader is greater
than that of any other musket the advantage of the
running drill may be incalculable, as it would seem
possible to annihilate an opposing line with impu-
nity, retire rapidly, and show a new front. But,
apart from the question of the relative range of fire,
success in action so often depends upon rapidity of
movement that it is satisfactory to find the autho-
rities of the War Department endeavouring to make
it a most important feature of military tactics in
conjunctian with the Snider musket.
An order has been received from the Horse
AtiA3
companies in Barbadoes, and consisting of Lieuts.
Pyne and Tabb, 57 rank and file, one officer's wife,
and one child, to be held in readiness to embark at
Liverpool on or about the 24th inst. In accordance
with instructions contained in a route received from
the Quartermaster-General to the Forces, the de-
pot 82d Regiment, under the command of Captain
Briggs, left Colchester on Saturday, and proceeded
by rail to join the 2d depot battalion at Chatham.
Vice-Admiral Wm. Hamley died on Wednesday
last. He entered the navy at 13, and was lieut. of
the Pallas in the Walchern expedition, and of the
Havannah, when lie was officially reported for his
gallant conduct at the capture of some vessels near
the Penmarks in 1812, and was present at the cap-
ture and destruction of an armed vessel and convoy
under the towns of Vasto and Fortore in 1813, be-
sides in several minor boat actions. He commanded
the batteries at the siege and capture of the fortress
of Zara in the same year, and had his name honour-
ably mentioned in the Gazette four times in 1814.
He obtained his commission as Lieut. Jan. 20,
1807 ; Commander June 15, 1814 ; and post rank
Oct. 20, 1834. He was placed on the retired list
under her Majesty's Order in Council in 1816, be-
came Rear-Admiral Dec. 1, 1856, and Vice-Admiral
Dec. 12, 1863. The late Admiral was a Knight of
Leopold of Austria, and had also received the
Austrian gold medal.
One of the most essential of the many points for
consideration in the design and construction of docks
is necessarily the provision of a means of egress for
the water on the admission of a ship for examina-
tion or repair. This is sometimes effected by simply
pumping out the water—a somewhat long process,
as pumping engines are generally fitted for the pur-
pose--and otherwise by a combined system of pump
and reservoir, the latter being constructed on a
lower level.than the floor of its adjoining docks.
Even, however, when pumps and reservoir have
been combined, as is the case now with several of
the old docks of Portsmouth yard, the work of
emptying the dock of water on the admission of a
ship remains a difficult matter, and it is often late at
night before a ship can be shored up and secured on
her blocks. In constructing the Minotaur or No. 11
dock at Portsmouth, the pumping system has alone
been adopted for emptying the dock of water, but this
appears to be so efficient as to altogether supersede
the neeessity for reservoirs as an additiOnal power
for rapidly filling or emptying docks or basins, and
has also again established the great superiority of
the centrifugal over all other forms of pumping gear
in dealing with large volumes of water where the
time occupied in the work done is of importance.
No. 11 dock at Portsmouth yard is connected with
and entered from the steam basin. In constructing
this dock a centrifugal pump was erected at its head
by Messrs. Easton, Amos, and Co., of London, under
contract with the Admiralty, and connected by cul-
verts with the No. 11. deck and the steam basin, and
also with the reservoir of the old docks of the yard.
The official trials of this centrifugal pumping-engine
have been made during the past week, the last trial
having comeoff on Saturday, and have been attended,
with very remarkable success. No.ll dock and the
connecting steam basin were selected for the pump's
trials as affording perfectly reliable data by which to
measure its capabilities. The pump, which is in
reality, as may be supposed, simply an " Appold," .
6ft. Gin. in diameter, and has nine blades or vanes.
It is fixed on vertical shafting, like the hydraulic
wheel of her Majesty's ship IVaterwitc andno-
is
driven by two engines of 40-horse power,
minal, each ; the cylinders having asteam diameterbeino
o.
of 30 in., and a stroke of 30 in.,
cut off at one-fourth stroke. Steam s suplied to
p
i
the engines by two double-flue Cornish boilers, each
25ft. in length and 7ft. in dmeter,f and having two
2ft. 9in. flues. Culverts Biaft. by t. communicate
with the outside water of Portsmouth harbour, either
for ingress or egress, and with the steam basin inde-
pendent of No. 11 dock. A circular culvert of Oft.
diameter communicaies with the pump from the
head of x 9, l 1, d9*, There i also communication.

Having,. in conjunction with Captain Harris and
Baker, as nautical assessors, held the inquiry or-
dered by your lordships into the loss of the barque
Constantia, I beg to forward my report. The Con-
stantia was a wooden ship, of 436 tons, built in
1859 at Liverpool, and owned by Mr. E. C. Friend
and others of that port. .She left Liverpool on the
16th of October last, under the command of Mr.
Edgar Willcock, who holds a certificate of compe-
tency as master, and had a crew of 16 men all told.
She was bound for Yokohama, in Japan, and car-
ried a general cargo and no passengers. The pilot
left the ship off the Bell Buoy about 6-o'clock on
the same evening ; and at 7 p.m. on the 18th the
South Stack Light bore E. and by S. 12 miles.
From this position the ship- stood across S.W. and
by W. till midnight, and W.S.W. from that
hour till she struck, at 3.30 a.m. on the
19th, upon the north end of the ArklOw
Bank, her average speed having been four
and a half knots from her last.departure fr

ward, and she carried double reefed topsails and
reefed mainsail. About 1 a.m. the look-out reported
a light ahead, and the mate also saw the same light
somewhat later on the starboard beam. This light
was also seen by the man at the wheel about 2 30
a.m. on the starboard quarter, and he stated in his
evidence that he heard the mate point out this light
to the captain, who came up about 3 a.m., and all
seem unfortunately to have taken it for a ship's
light, whereas from the course and distance
run, making due allowance for tide and leeway,
must have been the Wicklow Swatch Light. Very
shortly afterwards another light was seen right
ahead, or a little on the port bow, showing from
time to time, which was also too readily assumed to
be a ship's light, and this was, doubtless, the Ark-
low revolving light, as was subsequently proved.
Upon the discovery of this light, the master went
below to consult his chart, and, returning in a few
minutes, gave orders to the mate to make ready to
go about and to call all hands up at 345 a.m. In
the interim, however, about 3 30 a.m., the ship
struck, when the last-named light was about nine
miles distant. No cast of the lead was taken. Every
r
effort was made to get the ship, which seems to have
grounded just before high water, off the bank, and
eth t
state
o
da
her sails having been laid aback she came off on the
rbao starboardpaiboats,
lrapidly,
and t
that
atltack,e although
tihtt headohhueg
hvessel
all off s
hands
ih e
a.
weresßinuk g kept
ti
n
shen
sustained so much damage, and made water so
the pumps, they were obliged to take to the
with twelve feet of water in her, or more, about
9 a.m. There can be no doubt that in this
case, as in so many others which have been before
the Court, the Master neglected to make due al-
lowance for the set of the tide and leeway, and, so
doing, miscalculated his position. For eight or nine
hours, however, he had been standing to the west-
ward, and therefore approaching the Irish banks,
and without any other warning than that which a
calculation of the distance run should have given
him, he should have had recourse to his lead. But
he saw two lights, both of which must have been
beacon lights, and yet, with singular credulity, they
were hastily considered by all who saw them to be
ship's lights. One cast of the lead, however, would
have undeceived them ; but if master mariners will
persist in the neglect of the lead while navigating
the Irish Channel, however much the lights may
be multiplied, these casualties will continue tolt
the Court fe
happen. Under these circumstan.ces
and to
bound to pronounce the master indefault,
ths
calendar mon •
suspend his certificate for 12 ca
have, &c., l'olice l‘lagistrate.
T. S. RaFFLEs,

Liverpool, Nov. 8,186 G.
We concur in this report.
R. 13. BAKER,
HY. HARRIS, Nautical Assessors.

UESTION ON TILE TYNE.—The
TILE LABOUR Q I
ironworkers' strike on the Tyne, which has been protracted
Pt.kirleYd ueecitliaoPtts. sasnrsd.
tohveermtleine laroneggpoienr
giocuoaf
tlt6b:Cleokis,,eriscre:nt
Hawks, Craw hay' and Co., and Alessrs. Abbott and Co., of
getting their old hands back, and
t"haetyeswe
herad'aro rapidly
working well on to full time on Thursday. There
is a prospect of more furnaces and mills being opened at
Walker and Jarrow, and the conviction in the district is
that for all practical purposes the strike is at an end. The
ar
prospects of the working classes on the Tyne this winter
very unpromising. The iron shipbuilding trade is weekly
e
becoming more dull and depressed, and there is a consider-
able number of hands out both in the iron and timber
gship-
building yards; and the general manufacetunrriiin. The
sh ng and ship-
ping trades of the Tyno are far from. flourishing.
only great manufacturing trade on the river which shows
any activity is the chemical. Large shipments continue to
b
os ton, and Philadelphia,
ttontohteoWnlyesttoerNn
eSwtaYteseroki l 3
America, and the demand is
to continue. Prices are high and stocks are low, and
)eiu ktesleiy into
though
pyrites—hasth e
greatlyvalue
increasedth the
rawo
f lat late, he business material—manganeseis a veryand
successful one. A company of English capitalists in con-
nection with the chemical trade, having a capital of
£200,000, are about to commence operations with a view
to develope the mines in Spain, from which our manufac-
get their Principal
turas supplies of the raw material.

About throe quarters of a mile.
Age st lb
Volunteer ... a 8 13
Queen of Trumps... a 8 12
Edinburgh... ... 8 0
Kilkenny ... 6 7 6
Confederate ... 5 7 6
Lady Valentine ... 4 7 6
Catalogue ... ... 4 7 0
Hidalgo ... ...3 613
Belgrave ... 4 6 10
Her Ladyship ... 3 610
Nukuheva ... 4 6 6
Bay Leaf ... 3 6 6 1
The Salopian Stakes of 15 sous each, 5 ft, with 25 added,
for two year olds; colts 9st, fillies and geldings Bst 111 b ;
the second to save his stake ; winners (handicaps ex-
cepted) of 100 soya 31b; if of 200 sous 51b extra; starters
thrice without winning or being second allowed 51b.
About three quarters of a mile.
Land Tax, Knight of the Garter, Plunder, Pirate Chief.
Mr. Dunbar did not name.
The County Members' Plate of 50 soya (Handicap), for two
year olds and upwards; winners after the declaration of
the weights 71b extra. About six furlongs.
The Shorts Handicap of 3 soya each, with 20 added, for
two year olds and upwards: the winner to be sold for 40
sous ; winners after the declaration of the weights 71b
extra. About half a mile, straight.
A Handicap of 5 sous each, for all ages ; winners after thn
declaration of the weights 71b extra. About three fur-
longs, straight.
A Sweepstakes of 5 soya each, with 25 added ; two year
olds Gst 101 b, throe Bst 91b, four and upwards 9st 41b;
mares and geldings allowed 31b; the winner to be sold
for 100 sovS; if for 50 soya allowed 71b. About seven

furlongs.
The Enville flail Stakes (Handicap) of 5 sovs each, with
50 added; winners aft____a_a.lo d

he Borough Members' Prate o o I sovs ; two-yr=olds 7st,
three Bst Bth, four 9st, five, six, and aged 9st 21b ; the
winner to be sold for 200 says, if for 100 sovs allowed 71b.
About five furlongs, straight.

DANGERS OF LONDON STREETS.—Between six and
swen o'clock on Friday last, Mr. Rees, of Dennett-road
Pecklmn, was robbed of upwards of £2OO, on his way home
from the Peckham Railway station. The attack was made by
two men, the one meeting and the other overtaking him from
behind, and from the time selected and the skilful way in
which the robbery was executed there is no doubt it had
been pre-arranged, and was carried out by persons who had
made themselves acquainted with Mr. Rees's habits, and had
followed him from the Bank on the day of the robbery.
Unfortunately, £l5O was in gold, but the other portion,
which was in paper, may lead to the detection of the
thieves. Between forty and fifty cases of daring highway
robbery have now occurred in South London within the
last two or three weeks, and it is time some great improve-
ments were made in the police arrangements of the dis-
trict.

JEFFREYS AND THE FIDDLER.—Though JoedNiffvnasreipet:u.3)ThilStri
delighted in music, he does not seem to have held its pro-
fessors in high esteem. In the time of Charles 11., musical
artists of the humbler grades liked to be styled " musi-
tioners ;" and on a certain occasion, when he was sitting
as Recorder for the city of London, George Jeffreys was
greatly incensed by a witness who, in a pompous voice,
called himself a musitioner. With a sneer the recorder in-
terposed—" A musitioner ! I thought you were a fiddler!"
" I am a musitioner," the violinist answered stoutly. "Oh,
indeed!" croaked 'Jeffreys. " This is very important—
highly important—extremely important ! And pray, Mr.
Witness, what is the difference between a musitioner and
a fiddler 2" With fortunate readiness the man answered,
" As much, sir, as there is between a pair of bagpipes and
a recorder."—Jeafreson's Book about Lawyers.
ilstvatraovcata gemg et lioef
trapperCAP
a-
in capturing a white
murchan, succeeded the other day
glede or kite, which, to use Christopher North's oxpression,
CAPTURE OF
the estate
A GofLEJaDnEl.es—DDaigoinciaslhd,
Esci., Mackenzie,of Ardn
had been " the pride and the pest" of the district. for many
years. The trappers had long exerted all their skill in
endeavouring to destroy this kite, are ttliva, s
amend,suspecte no
doubt most judsttloy:
of its
of such depred of
ators,
it was ultimately. captured our correspondent does not state.
lithtritiaddnt:B:e c'galeis::tehtreoyilnethod by which
It
tna eemnimweeiaieolssndu. et,:chtldeto2ehf
fs a stit.tasleaiktii
.lubafdslt,t
Ugh amtlulhOlteiwi
ee vt
iepr,s meteft we it
wings,the usualand
at
fate
the
time it was taken it held in its claws a sea-trout fully 18
inches long, the produce, no doubt, of a recent fishing ex-
podition.—lnverness Courier.
SAL3ION FISIIING IN CUMBERLAND.---The salmon
fishiug season, which has just closed in Cumberland, is
pronounced by the Carlisle Journal to have been the best
experienced in that county for many years. Anglers
have caught as many as three or four fine salmon in ono
hsitaxvAysaNr.ibirniietsnnhegov afforded
eEwdir
atehne,
obartr:utoeeidepisdteprholiognnevnierd themoyee6dne
fish, and
ethi
htne-aawain.:svehd.oue t
withTw
deceasedii
i.iuet
fishingatie
aelihluvyruenifg:etstuaooslyeamar
be
erasun.
an-
ticipated afwi.at
the custom of burying
ifnagvoausrtitiell
hgorrseaetcfrai
taihcoipauttethdefoorringieoxt
oyfear.
ANCIENT CUSTOM AT THE BURIAL OF AII S.
th

is said that the horse " Comus," given by Charles Davis
by the Prince of Wales, was shot the day previously to
the funeral of the Queen's huntsman ; but it is probable
that only a valueless hors° was killed in order to provide
the ears for burial. The custom is an old and barbarous
one, and scarcely anything is known of its history. In
alluding to tho subject, the "Baron de Bonchose" says, " I
assume them (the ears) to be the true indicator of the
horse's powers, the linl: of communication between him-
self and rider ; by them he e±presses himself in many
ways—temper, strength, courage, &c. They are the only
part wholly visible to the huntsman. To keep his eye on

them and between their gives the perfection of balance
and seat. They are the guide to honours." The Baron
seems to be enlightened by his idea; but we are still in
the dark as to the origin of the custom—a practice more
honoured in the breach than in the observance.—Land and
Water.
PEACE BETWEEN PARAGUAY AND BRAZIL.—We
aro informed that peace between Brazil and Paraguay is
nearly certain. The great victory of Curapaity shook the
slave empire, and
Dictator's proposals, which will, wo imagine, include au ac-
peace is to be signed on the Paraguayan
knowledgment of his sovereignty over the Missiones, the
cession of somo Brazilian districts on its head waters, and,
if he is wise, some provision for the benefit of the slaves.
If ho Cann n induce the black population to look to him,
m itly he neat war, shake the slave empire finally
he may,
Spectator.

'''''

MIMI