The Sun.
London, England, 1866-04-25 00:00:00

Miscellaneous American News.

THE CATTLE PLAGUE IN THE UNITED STATES.
—The New York Citizen says that it is reported
that the cattle plague which has ravaged Europa
during the past two years has already made its
appearance in the United States, though as yet in a
somewhat subdued form, the warm weather of spring
and summer being required to give the disease its
full malignity. The cattle here, it is reported,
have not yet begun to die from it in its acute form,
and with its usual disgusting symptoms when under
full headway ; but the butter they yield is peculiarly
offensive and sickening to whomsoever may partake
of it in any quantity, emitting a slight but positively
loathsome odour, when held to the nose, and likely
to cause giddiness, intense depression of spirits, and
general lassitude.
A Massachusetts Yankee has invented a cotton-
picking machine which, it is claimed, will do the
work of twenty men, gathering cotton as clean as
the most expert hand could do it, at distances rang-
ing from six inches to six feet, and taking it only
from the bolls which are ripe and well open, leaving
the undeveloped pods uninjured, and not harming
the plant.

A New York letter to the Philadelphia Inquirer,
of the 24th, says something of an idea of the extent
to which some of the New York dry goods houses
have suffered recently can be formed from the fact
that a house which started on January Ist, with a
capital of $300,000, has just failed; and although
the business has been managed by shrewd and ex-
perienced men, it is found that the original capital
has all disappeared, and the. debts of the firm will
reach an equal amount.

In a recent address in Philadelphia, Rev. H. W.
Beecher expressed himself in this way :--"
m He
en wasto
free to say we never sent so many good
Congress as constituted the present Congress.
(Loud and protracted applause.) But there never
was a time when so many good and wise men
made so poor a bungle. You should not have
applauded until I had finished. Heretofore the
majority of these men had been contestants, and it
was fair to suppose they would be novices at making
a government after so long a trial at breaking down
that made by slavery. The kind and patient Mr.
Lincoln was cudgelled and whacked by Congress,
and he bore it with a patient spirit, reminding him
of some horses who merely act when cudgelled as
though it was to brush off flies. When they com-
menced whacking Mr. Johnson, they found a pair
of heels through the dashboard, and they left the
waggon and took to the trees and bushes, crying,
beast, brute ;' but since then they had cudgelled
more carefully."
DIPLOMATIC CORRESPONDENCE.-The Tribune
publishes two further despatches from Mr. Seward
to Mr. Adams. In the first the Secretary of State
refers to the anticipation on the part of European
Governments of retaliatory measures. He then
reviewed the grievances of the United States against
Great Britain as well calculated to produce an ex-
pectation of retaliatory measures, but deprecates
any intention on the part of the United States to
go to war on account of the grievances. More im-
portant is another despatch of March 1, communi-
cating to Mr. Adams a copy of a despatch in cypher
from a rebel commissary in Canada to Jefferson
Davis. It gives an account of the endeavours of
the rebel agents in London and Paris to find out
on what terms assistance or recognition could be
obtained. It seems that these agents were in-
structed to intimate that an armistice might be
concluded between the two belligerent parties in
North America, for the purpose of undertaking
conjointly a foreign war—for instance, for the ex-
pulsion of the French from Mexico. The hint was
treated in England in the usual unsatisfactory,
non-committal manner ; but in France it at once met
with the declaration that no such alliance could
be permitted; that the Emperor would punish
any attempt to enforce the Monroe doctrine, and
that if it could be made sure that the Federal Go-
vernment was pursuing such a course, France would
promptly recognise Southern independence.

The Syria has arrived at Southampton from
Alexandria with £1,988. She left Gibraltar on the
20th inst.

BARNED'S BANKING COMPANY, LIMITED.—
The negotiations with reference to the affairs of
Barned's Banking Company had not come to any de-
finite conclusion by the time our parcel was despatched
yesterday ; but it was rumoured that an effort would
be made to re-organise the bank. In the meantime, as
some efforts had been made to place the liquidation of the
concern in London hands, a number of resident share-
holders and depositors have made arrangements to secure
the placing of the affairs of the bank for liquidation in
the hands of Messrs. Barwood, Banner, and Son, Liver-
pool, accountants, who are now preparing the balance
sheet. A local paper gives the following approximate
estimate of the present condition of the affairs of the bank :
—Liabilities : On bills in circulation, £1,800,000; on drafts
on London and deposits, £1,100,000 ; on acceptances,
£500,000; total, £3,400,000. Assets: Cash in hand,
£60,000; bills, £2,800,000; loans, £1,000,000; profit and
loss, £40,000 ; total, £3,000,000.
THE SUSPECTED POISONING AT PONTELAND.—
The coroner for the southern division of Northumberland
opened an inquest on Monday upon the bodies of the three
brothers who aro supposed to have been poisoned. The
body of the eldest brother has been exhumed% and the in-
testines, &c., have been taken for analysis. The only
evidence taken was for the purpose of identifying the body
which had been taken from the grave, and after that the
inquest was adjourned for a week. It is said that the po-
lice have taken possession of a large number of medicine
bottles which were found in the farmhouse occupied by the
deceased.

THE MORTALITY OF TROOPS IN CHINA.—The
committee appointed to inquire into the above subject re-
sumed their sittings yesterday in the House of Commons ;
Col. North in the chair. After the admission of the public
the room was ordered to be cleared by the committee. On
their readmission the only evidence taken was that of Dr.
Snell, who, in answer to the Marquis of Hartington, said
he did not consider garrisons which were fitted for
Shanghai necessarily fitted for Hong Kong. The room
was, by order of the committee, again cleared, and on the
public being admitted the committee had adjourned.
THAMES ANGLING PRESERVATION SOCIETY.—
Yesterday, upon the invitation of Mr. W. H.
Whitehead, the committee of this society assembled at the
Red Lion, Hampton, to commemorate the fishing arrange-
ments which had been inaugurated last year. In respond-
ing to the " Thames Angling Preservation Society," Mr.
Ponder said that during the last twelve months they had
turned into the Thames from their breeding ponds about
40,000 fish, and during the five years of the operations of
the society about the same number had been sent into the
stream. The company afterwards proceeded to the fishing
ponds at Sunbury, where the breeding-ponds, the boxes,
and the other arrangements were brought under notice,
and the large specimens of the young fry, which had only
been turned in about six weeks, excited great interest.
The ponds have been cleared twice during the last 12
Months, and the young fry emptied therefrom, the fish
then being considered big enough to take care of them-
selves. During the five years of the operations of the so-
ciety it is computed that upwards of 200,000 fish have been
put into the river, and it must be satisfactory for the pub-
lic to know that really decent-sized salmon trout have
been seen, and in more than one instance taken. The ac-
tion of the Thames Conservancy Board has, of course,
much benefited the operations of the society, and the ap-
pointment of paid river keepers, as settled last year, has
proved a decided advantage. Still the netting is carried
into practice, and the keepers have been obliged to wire
the breeding ponds, in order to save the fish from the de-
predators. The company having viewed the fishing
ground, proceeded to the residence of Mr. G. E. Knign;'
at the Elms, Hampton, where he is forming breeded
breeding ponds
-
for perch and other fish, which will be ultimately turned
into the river.
A PREACHER ON FIRE.—The New
:
corre-
spondent of the Boston Journal sends the following
—"ln one of the Presbyterianwas
f:hurdles, the other Sun-
daylating with all due de-
oorum and solemnly.
0
e
morning, a minister York
onco he began,to cut up queer
nanotiscms,aallnadstsohnoisrhtliny
edni tsAaoplfl a
p eLatirseadudfirtoonris.puTblhice pvuielpwil to
oeitnhge
onh
tallivsaidsegs,oainngd
ethe doorbut shut, the.
uppgavo assurances that there was Ero
toll w a Smoke ris-
e excited congregation learnt, after
people a clolsee
eoenuel,dbonxoet
sinegulefwrohmerteh'eanPduiPt:ht* ter was on fire. It seems that he
awhile, that the minis
carried in his pockets a lot of loose lucifer matches, and
they ignited and set him on fire. Assistance came, and the
minister (fire) was put out. The service was continued,
but the solemnity of the audience was not as marked as
on some other occasions."

A communication from Saint-Omer (Pas-de-
Calais) says :—" Rumours have been in circulation
that a camp of reserve was to be formed at Lielfacit. Such
is not the case; on the contrary, the military administra-
tion is about to remove the huts constructed a few years
back, and which are now in a very dilapidated condition.
The olq camp will be alum preserved,"