The Sun.
London, England, 1866-12-10 00:00:00

Liverpool Cotton Market—This Day.

The market opens with a very large demand.
East India cotton fd. dearer. Safes fully 10,000
bales.

POLICE INTELLIGENCE.--This Day.

MARLBOROUGII-STREET.

AN Ex-POLICE SERGEANT AND A PROSTITUTE CHARGED
WITH ROBBING A SURGEON.—Victoire do Langle, a French
prostitute was charged, before Mr. Tyrwhitt, with stealing
two £5 Bank netes and a half-sovereign, the moneys of
Mr. Charles Fyddon, surgeon, Highwortb, Wilts, and
James Kay, described as a lodging-house keeper, of 39A,
Howland-street, Fitzroy-square, and formerly a police-
sergeant, was charged with being concerned in the
robbery. Mr. Abrams appeared for the prisoners.
The prosecutor met the female prisoner in Regent-street
on Saturday night, and accompanied her to 39A, Howland-
street, and passed some hours with her. While with the
prisoner he made various excuses to go to the door of a
room in which he had left his clothes, and suspecting
that something was wrong he examined his pockets
and missed the two .£5. notes and a half sovereign. He
then got a constable, and gave the female prisoner (who
denied robbing him) into custody. Subsequently the male
prisoner, who was known by the police to be living with
the female prisoner, was suspected of being concerned in
the robbery, and he was taken into custody.
Mr. Abrams cross-examined the prosecutor at some
length, and he admitted that he had beex the same even-
ing to the Haymarket Theatre and the Alhambra Palace,
and that he had not seen the notes since the afternoon,
but that he had several times felt them in his pocket.

Sergeant Banger, E division, said that he was fetched
by the prosecutor to take the prisoner into custody. He
went to the house, and told the female prisoner the charge,
but she denied having the prosecutor's money. He
searched the house, and there was no one in the house but
the female prisoner. He could not find the notes. He took
the prisoner to the station.
Mr. Abrams addressed the magistrate for the prisoners
urging that it was only a case of suspicion.
Mr. Tyrwhitt remanded the prisoners till Monday and
refused bail.

The Post Office and the Telegraphs.

Shortly before the resignation of the late Ministry
a bill was drawn up providing for the purchase and
working by Government of the telegraphic lines of
the United Kingdom. The project was put forward
after a long correspondence with the principal offi-
cials of the leading telegraphic companies, not only
of England, but also of some of the nations of the
Continent. It is understood that Lord Stanley of
Alderley takes great interest in the promotion of the
scheme, and also that the present Ministry have
given it their approval. There seems no reason why
telegraphs should not be put under the management
of Government equally with the Post-office, to
which they are so valuable as auxiliary agents—the
one having become the complement of the other in
the great machinery of the world's correspondence.
There is no doubt that if the scheme be adopted the
public will be able:to send messages at a consider-
ably lower rate than they are able to do at present.
Besides, the details of the working of the various
lines would be carried out with far greater com-
pleteness and expedition. It has been shown over
and over again, by the most distinguished of our
political economists, that when certain institutions
assume a certain degree of magnitude they can be
more easily carried on by one great managing power
rather than by several distinct managing bodies,
each of which has to undertake expense little less
than that by which all the distinct branches could
be maintained under the centralising system. Under
this principle the Post-office unquestionably come,
and we see little or no reason why it should not
apply also to telegraphs, for their vast network ,spread
over the three kingdoms, has now become so exten-
sive and complicated that the intervention of Go-
vernment seems inevitable. The most noticeable fea-
ture of the scheme proposed is the adoption of an
uniform rate for a given number of words as respects
any distance, the rate being much lower than that at
present followed. And here it may be added that,
though the English companies have reduced their
prices since their first constitution, their rates are still
much higher than those that prevail on the continent
and in the United States. Under the plan recom-
mended, the Government would have to construct
new lines in addition to managing those already
existing. The postal arrangements would be made
to coincide as much as possible with those of the
telegraphic offices, and the establishment of a central
telegragh bureau corresponding to the General
Post-office will make a remarkable addition to the
details of the project. The several staffs of
the existing companies will, it is presumed; pass
into the employment of the Government, while
such officials as managing directors and secretaries
will have to be provided with fresh appointments
or else pensioned off. It appears advisable, consi-
dering 'the advantages to be derived from such a
step, that Government should proceed at once to
buy up and work the telegraphic lines of the United
Kingdom, even at a loss, for not only would the
public benefit by the prevalence of the low tariff,
but morn liberal terms could be entered into with
foreign Powers, and correspondence with the con-
tinent greatly facilitated. It is only just to add
that the details of the scheme have been drawn up
by Mr. Scudmore, of the General Post-office, whose
services in similar matters have been gracefully
acknowledged by Mr. Gladstone in the House of
Commons.

The Christmas performance of " The Messiah " by
the National Choral Society, under the direction of Mc.
G. W. Martin, will be given by a band and chorus of 700
performers next Wednesday at Exeter Hall. In order that
all classes may have an opportunity of hearing this great
work, a portion of the hall has bodn sot apart for the
holders of tickets at one shilling.
As the Portland Breakwater is now completed,
many of the buildings formerly used by those engaged in
the construction of that great national undertaking will be
rendered vacant, and it is proposed on the part of the
Admiralty that some of these should be surveyed, with the
view of ascertaining if any of them can be converted into
sick quarters for the reception of patients belonging to her
Majesty's ships when stationed in the roads, so as to ren-
der unnecessary pursuing the old plan of transporting
them, at much inconvenience and danger, to Haslar Hos-
pital.—Army and .Navy Gazette. _

The census of the Indian tribes, as prepared for
the annual report of the Commissioners of Indian
Affairs of 1866, shows that the total number of In-
dians is 295,779.
STATISTICS OF SHIPWRECKS IN FRANCE.--TIIC
Union publishes a statement, from which it appears
that from 1862 to 1865 there occurred 986 ship-
wrecks or disasters at sea. The crews of the ves-
sels amounted in the aggregate to 3,280 men, and
1858 of whom perished, ;