The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-09 00:00:00

culars of the visit of the Emperor and Empress.
Her Majesty was dressed in black silk, and wore a
bonnet of Italian straw with blue ribbons. Their
Majesties walked about the Exhibition for more
than an hour, and inspected every object very
minutely. The spectacle of the field of competition
was very beautiful. It is in the valley of the Yonne,
and the Imperial pavilion where the prizes and
medals were distributed was tastefully decorated
with flowers. Among those present were M. Vaitry,
President of the Council of State ; M. Fremy, Di-
rector of the Credit Foncier, deputy for the Yonne ;
M. pony de Mornay, Director of Agriculture at
the Ministry of Public Works ; M. Lecomte,
deputy ; M. Camille Doucet, the Duke de Cler-
mont Tonnerre, Viscount de Virieu, and other
well-known individuals. Baron Martineau des
Chenetz, Vice President of the Council, was pre-
vented from attending by illness.

The candidates for the vacant seat at the Academy
of Fine Arts of the Institute, caused by the death
of M. Clapisson, are Messrs. Felicien David, A.
Elwart, C. Gounod, and Aime Maillart. The elec-
tion will take place on Saturday week.
The Academy of Fine Arts has elected as free
correspondents (section of correspondence) Messrs.
Fiorelli of Naples, and Newton of London.
The recent terrible explosion at Havre which de-
stroyed the English vessel the European, and caused
the death of 60 persons, was, according to the scien-
tific men of France, the result of the explosion of a
liquid matter called nitro-glycerine, which has been
employed with success for two years as a substitute
for gunpowder in mines. The idea is due to M. A.
Nobel, an engineer of Hamburg. It may be heated
to 100 deg. without danger, but it explodes at 180.
It is a poison, and forms one of the principal con-
stituents of fat substances. It may be obtained by
pouring the glycerine drop by drop into an equal
volume of nitric acid and sulphuric acid. It ex-
plodes from the influence of a shock, but not always
at the point where the shock takes place. This ex-
plosive oil will not explode by contact with a lighted
match.

Ceramique having been the " observed of all ob-
servers," at least among sporting men, since Chan-
tilly Races, some may like to know that the name is
of classic origin. Among the masterpieces of
Grecian art are three bronze statues erected by the
Athenians in honour of three manes of Miltiades.
With these manes Cimon had three times gained
the principal prize at the races at Athens. There
were gentlemen riders in those days. He rode
his own horses, and so did the sons of the
Kings of Syracuse, Agrigentum, and Macedonia.
So did Nero and Pythagoras. So highly esteemed
were these horses in that day that when they died
they were buried in Ceramique with great porup
among heroes and warriors. M. E. Houel, a
French writer, the author of an erudite history of
the horse, relates that Philodas had a splendid mare
named Dura by the Corinthians, and that after it
had been 'victor at a celebrated race, the Greeks al-
lowed him to place the statue of his mare at
Olympus.

About three years ago a gentleman named Cochin, residing at Passy, on dying recommended
his widow particularly that she should take great
care of his garden, and always retain the gardener
in her service. The lady scrupulously observed these
directions, and has had no occasion to regret that
she has done so, for a few days since while the
gardener was pursuing his ordinary labours in the
garden he dug up a packet containing securities to
the amount of 3,500 f., which he immediately gave
to his mistress. .

This has been a settled, beautiful summer's day,
not intensely hot, but warm enough for June, bright
and beautiful, and without a cloud. The recent
rains have improved vegetation wonderfully.

Karl Blind and the Attack on Count

B ismarck.

The family of Karl Blind have been profoundly
afflicted by the intelligence of the last few days
from Berlin. The earliest telegrams stated that
Count Bismarck's assailant, who has since died, was
a son of Karl Blind ; and subsequently others have
been received denying the relationship. In truth,
he was the son of Mrs. Blind by a former husband,
but has borne his step-father's name. Ile was 22
years of age, and left England four years ago, but
paid a visit to this country two years since. When
here he was a rifle volunteer, and won a prize at
Wimbledon. For the last two years he has been
studying political economy at Hohenheim in Wir-
temberg. His family bad so little reason to sup-
pose that he was engaged in desperate projects
that they were expecting shortly to see him, having
lately received a letter announcing that he was
coming to England. In the absence of direct and
authentic information they can only suppose that,
living in that part of Germany where Count Bis-
marck is hated perhaps more intensely than any-
where else on earth, he was carried away by his
political influences that surrounded him, and led
to commit an act to be reprobated by all honourable
men, and regretted by none more than the patriot
whose name he had been permitted to bear.

Sale of Land by Auction Bill.

_,,__

Mr. James Beal has addressed a letter to Lord St.
Leonards on this bill, criticising its leading provisions. Of
clauses sto 13, he says :—" They should be intituled, To
enable the public to combine against the owner of property
offering same by auction, to obtain same at the price
agreed to by the parties to the combination, and below the
value of such property ;' and it proceeds in this most
unjust course by clause 5 denying to the vendor the
protection of the auctioneer, his own paid servant, who, as
much to save the time of the public as in the interest of
his employer, proceeds to facilitate the business by offer-
ing bids up to the reserve, at which he stops and declares
it to be open to the public present. This clause would,
in effect, destroy the business of the auctioneer,
and a system of sale by tender would be preferable.
Clause 9 is a most unwarrantable interference with the
rights of the subject. If a man has fixed a price to pro-
tect his property, on what principle is he to be denied an
active agent to bid up to his reserve ? An auctioneer
would have no alternative but to introduce the Scotch
system of upset price, which limits price by letting the
whole world know the owners' ideaof value, often in igno-
ranee of ' real market value. Clause 10 is utterly irrecon-
cileable with clause 6, which is to be a sale without reserve,
with privilege of secretly acting on a reserve. Clauses 11
and 12 are the corollary of the previous absurd restric-
tions, and place the auctioneer at the mercy of each
intending purchaser. One is at a loss to know what
grievance it is sought to remedy. A instructs an
auctioneer to sell ; by the bill A is to be bound so to obey
a law as to injure the market value of his property. B, C,
and D may be intending purchasers, who may legally com-
bine to possess themselves of A's property at a ridiculously
low figure. The law protects B, C, and D, but leaves A
helpless. But how are B, C, and D now protected ? That
either advised or acting on their own judgment they attend
an auction, if the reserve or the bid of the auctioneerpasses
the price they deem adequate, they cease to bid, and the
property either passes to a bolder buyer or is bought in. If
an injustice can be shown in existing practice, rely upon it
the auctioneers are too high and too honourable a body to
hesitate about effecting a requisite change ; but I believe
all our evidence would point to the difficulty of protecting
the vendor against a combined public. The bill is power-
less for good ; but it is most powerful for evil in virtually
exterminating the business of the auctioneer, which has
grown with our commercial growth, is governed by com-
mercial laws, and is conducted by an intelligent and hon-
ourable body of men, who are at a loss to know why they
are the subject of your lordship's special attention. It
is beyond the province of legislation, and is a dangerous
precedent. If successful, you may proceed to deal with
the property of individuals, to fix values, to define rentals
or terms of leases, or to prescribe rules to vendors of paint-
ings or retail dealers. It is opposed to all modern legisla-
tion, and cannot be expected to receive the support of the
House of Commons, to whose commercial instincts it is
opposed. Let me show an absurdity. If an auctioneer
offers a diamond bracelet worth £lO,OOO he is to, be at
liberty to pursue his present practice ; if he offers furniture
or books, no obstacle arises; and yet he knows well but
that for the protection he offers his client in his knowledge
of values he would be compelled by organised combinations
against him to part with his property at a third or fourth
of the value. The same knowledge and the same protec-
tion is to be of no avail to the vendor of lands or houses.
Is it not too absurd, my lord ? The law already throws
obstacles enough in the way of the transfer of real and
leasehold property; land is all but extra commercium. Let
me invite your lordship to enter a field in which vast good
may accrue from well-directed labour in simplifying our
antiquated and cumbrous system of conveyancing. Depend
upon it auctioneers will keep pace with the changes which,
in so far as commerce is allowed an alliance with land
commercial spirit and energy demands."