The Sun.
London, England, 1866-01-03 00:00:00

•
SONS, Dentists,
30, Berners-street, Oxford-street, and 448, Strand,
Opposite Charing-oross Railway Station.

Their painless artificial teeth are unequalled for economy,
durability, comfort, and all purposes of articulation and mas-
tication. Operations of every Yind being unnecessary, the
most nervous patient can be supplied without fear of pain or
inconvenience. _

Consultation free. Teeth from ss, Sets from 5 to 25 gs.,
warranted.

For the efficacy, utility, and success of their system, vide
" Lancet."

Vail) attendance at 30, lierners-street, Oxford-street, and
448, Strand, London • 15, Whitetriargats, Hull; 10, Norfolk-
street, Sheffield ;4, iast-parade, Leeds ; and 14, St. Nicholas-
street, Scarbro'.

Observe—Established 1830. No connection with any of the
same name.

The ship will be propelled by a two-bladed Grif-
fith's screw, weighing 6 tons 18 cwt., driven by a
pair of engines of 800 nominal collective power,
manufactured by Messrs. Maudslay and Co. Her
rudder is of the ordinary shape, but the turning and
manoeuvring powers of the ship would be very
largely increased by the substitution of a Lumley,
or jointed, rudder, such as is fitted for her Ma-
jest's ship Columbus, and is being prepared for
her Majesty's troopship Orontes.
The armament of the Royal Alfred is ordered to
be as folio ws :—Main deck : for outside of the cen-
tral battery, four 7in. muzzle loading wrought iron
rifled 61 ton guns, on carriages and slides ; for cen-
tral battery, ten 9in. muzzle loading wrought iron
rifled 121 ton guns, on carriages and slides, the pre-
cise pattern of the latter having yet to be decided
upon by the result of the Minotaur's trials. Upper
deck : four 7in. muzzle loading wrought iron rifled
61 ton guns, on carriages and slides. Total num-
ber of guns as the ship's armament, 18. There will
also be supplied to her, as boat and field guns, two
20 pounder breech loading Armstrongs, and one 9
pounder breech loading Armstrong for boat service,
with one 12 pounder breech loading Armstrong for
a field gun, and one 6 pounder brass gun for short
practice. She will carry three masts, the lower ones
of iron, and will have a running bowsprft.
In concluding this notice of the Royal Alfred it
may not be out of place to notice here that this con-
centration of a ship's fighting powers in a central
battery is similar in principle to the designs sub-
mitted four years since to the Admiralty for sea-
going citadel ships, carrying guns in one or two
tiers, by Mr. Murdoch, C.E., an inspecting officer
of machinery in her Majesty's navy. These vessels
were proposed to be built of iron throughout, car-
rying their guns on the broadside in a central
domed battery, plated with 10in. armour. The top
of the battery was to be closed by a fore and aft
grating of massive iron -bars, placed athwart ship,
affording protection from plunging shell or shot to
the guns' crews in the battery, and also giving ample
means of freeing the battery below from smoke and
gases evolved in burning large powder charges, in
the quick working of heavy ordnance, such as our
adopted 12/ ton broadside guns in close action.
By the domed form of the battery it also pro-
sented curvilinear lines everywhere to the enemy's
shot, and therefore combined deflection with simple
resistance. The ends of the citadel ships above the
water-line armour belt were to be built up of light
iron, and appropriated as quarters to the officers
and ship's company. Their estimated sea-going
rate of speed was 13/ knots. Mr. Murdoch was
chief engineer of Her Majesty's ship Sanspareil,
under the command of Captain S. C. Dacres, now
Vice-Admiral Sir S. C. Dacres, K.C.8., at the time
she participated in the attack by the combined fleets
on the sea defences of Sebastopol, and he also ren-
dered important service in the repair of heavy guns
and mortars in the batteries of the allied armies in
their approaches against the city by land.

Naval and Military Intelligence.

-.41.-

The depot companies of the 65th Regiment left
Chatham garrison shortly before daylight yesterday
morning, and marched to the station of the London,
Chatham, and Dover Railway, whence they were
conveyed by special train to Plymouth, where they
will join the service companies on their return from
New Zealand. The strength of the 65th depot is
eight sergeants, four drummers, 120 rank and file,
14 women, and 27 children, together with the fol-
lowing officers, viz. :—Capt. J. O. J. Priestley,
Capt. F. S. }ferries, Lieut. A. Pagan, Ensign T.
Chamley, Ensign J. L. Dickin, Ensign C. G. B.
Martin, and Ensign J. B. Fennell.
An order was yesterday received at Chatham
garrison, from the Horse Guards, directing a de-
tachment of the Depot Brigade, Royal Artillery, to
be held in readiness for embarcation for China.

The new Military Store Staff Corps, the head-
quarters of which are at Woolwich, is ordered to be
organised with the least possible delay. It has
been stated in error that the subordinates of the
corps were to consist of pensioners from the army.
They will, on the contrary, be composed of men
actually serving in various regiments, who are per-
mitted to volunteer, and will retain their regimental
pay and advantages, as heretofore, receiving in ad-
dition, as working pay, a sum varying from Gd. to
is. Gd. per . day. About 1,000 experienced crafts-
men and artizans from the Royal Artillery and
other regiments have presented themselves for en-
rolment to Mr. Parkyn, the newly-appointed officer
commanding the corps. Sergeant-Major Hassall,
Royal Artillery, has been gazetted as Quarter-
master, and 100 men have been entered as ser-
geants-maj or, colour-sergeants, sergeants, corporals,
second corporals, buglers, and privates. The uni-
form will be blue with red facings, with the usual
side arms. The Military Store Staff Corps will
thus assimilate, in a degree, with the Commissariat,
becoming a most important branch of the service,
and will be capable, in any emergency, of moving
with the army in the field, where their services are
more especially required. The operations of the
new corps were ordered to commence on the Ist
inst., but on account of the difficulty of clearing
out and giving over the requisite barrack quarters,
a delay of two or three days is found to be unavoid-
able. The corps will be increased in a short time to
300 of all ranks for Woolwich. In a few clays
notice of dismissal will be issued to an equivalent
number of the present working establishment, who
will be superseded on superannuation, which will
be notified three months in advance.. Those who
have served over ten years will alone be entitled to
pensions according to their present rates of wages.
The drawings and designs for the new ironclad
turret ship ordered to be laid down at Chatham
Dockyard are now in course of preparation at the
Admiralty, under the superintendence of Mr. E. J.
Reed, chief constructor of the navy, in readiness for
their transmission to Chatham, where the working
drawings and plans will be prepared by the
draughtsmen connected with the master shipwright's
department. The new vessel is to be built entirely
from the designs of Mr. Reed, but as the Admiralty
are desirous of producing the most perfect cupola
ship possible, Capt. Cooper Coles will be fully con-
sulted in all that relates to the construction of the
turrets. This arrangement is one which promises to
lead to what is so generally desired—the production
of a thorough seaworthy, and, at the same time,
powerful turret ship.

Mr. Charles Savile Roundell, M.A., Fellow of
Merton College, Oxford, and barrister-at-law, who has
been appointed secretary to the Jamaica Commission of
Inquiry, was formerly a member of Balliol College. He
obtained the prize for the best English essay in 1851 on
the following subject :--" What form of Political Consti-
tution is most Favourable to the Cultivation of the Fine
Arts ?" He was also a first-class man while at Balliol
College.

Yesterday a special meeting of the magistrates of
the City of London was held at Guildhall—the Lord
Mayor presiding.
A report was presented from the general purposes
committee of the Court, signed by the Lord Mayor
as chairman, and 12 others of the aldermen to whom
on the 27th Dec. it was referred to consider what
steps should be taken with respect to the discharge
of the judicial duties of the Recorder (Mr. Russell
Gurney) during his absence as a commissioner for
inquiry into the circumstances connected with the
recent insurrection in Jamaica, and to report forth-
with. The committee stated that they laid before
them precedents of the course pursued by the Court
of Aldermen on occasions involving the absence of
the Recorder, and after having carefully considered
the question they came to the conclusion that it was
desirable that a deputy recorder should be appointed
during the absence of Mr. Gurney, and the Recorder
having nominated the Common Sergeant to act as
his deputy- they approved of such nomination, and
recommended that the Court should appoint the
Common Sergeant to act as deputy recorder accord-
ingly. With a view to prevent any possible delay in
the business of the Central Criminal Court, they
stated that they had requested the Lord Mayor to
communicate with the Lord Chief Justice of the
Court of Queen's Bench, in order that some arrange-
ments might be made with her Majesty's judges, by
which they might give some acklitipai attendance
at the sessions of the dentrardritina Court, dur-
ing the temporary absence of the Recorder, as on a
former occasion in 1840. With respect to the
judicial duties at the Mayor's Court they said
the Recorder had informed the committee that
he had made the requisite arrangements under the
provisions of the Mayor's Court Act.
Mr. Adlerman WILsoN moved the adoption of
the report of the committee, and that Mr. Cham-
bers, the Common Sergeant, be appointed Deputy-
Recorder during the pleasure of the Court.
The motion was carried unanimously, after being
seconded by Mr. Alderman SIDNEY, who said that
he was gratified that the appointment should have
fallen on a gentleman so well able to discharge the
duties incident to the office.

The COMMON SERGEANT expressed his acknow-
ledgments, not only for the honour to himself im-
plied in the resolution, but for the courteous man-
ner in which it had been conferred. He entered, he
said, on the mo;e than arduous duties which it im-
posed upon him with a due sense of responsibility ;
he would do all that in him lay to make up for the
temporary loss to the corporation and the public of
the Recorder's valuable services, and he trusted the
Court would have no reason to regret the choice
they had made of a substitute. He added, in reply
to Mr. Alderman Sidney, that the Recorder had
made an arrangement with respect to the Mayor's
Court which would leave him (Mr. Chambers) at
liberty to discharge the whole of the duties of the
Common Sergeant.

After the transaction of some routine business
the Court adjourned.
The understanding at Guildhall yesterday was,
that tlie Recorder, accompanied by Mr. Maule, the
other commissioner, had that morning started for
Jamaica, and would probably arrive there about the
21st inst.

The Death of the Columbine at the Sunder-
land Theatre.

An inquest was held in Sunderland on Monday
touching the death of Louise Ricardo, or Richards,
the young Columbine who was so severely burnt at
the Lyceum Theatre, on Thursday evening, while
performing in the pantomime of " Robin Hood."
Mr. Robert Ricardo, the first witness called,
stated that whilst at the theatre, about 11 o'clock in
the evening, he was startled by his son, the Harle-
quin, telling him that the deceased was on fire. He
ran to the wing immediately, and saw his child
somenu
nd is bc r
but
oot fth
ipse er,ov
pia)
esl er
ns ceonnt dsae
ca
c -
entirelyo u
pr
lni
sgli
et
douebx: igAnulgri la, with al
en-
veloped her in their overcoats. Ills daughter was
only 12 years old, and at the time of the occurrence
was joyfully talking to Master Watson about some
juvenile party to which they had been invited on
the following day.
Mr. E. Nassett, the gasman, deposed to the ex-
tinguishing of the lights. That was by no means
an unfrequent occurrence ; but, when the spirit
lighter was applied on this occasion, the gas ignited
appeared to strike right down to the stage and set
the dress of Miss Ricardo on fire. There was a water
jointparallel with the stage from which two branches
projected. These were connected by indiarubber
tubing to the jets ortthe wings of the stage, and he
thought it probable that a disconnection unfortu-
nately taking place led to the escape which termi-
nated so fatally. The jointings were not strongly
secured, in consequence of the number of times
they bad to be removed from one part of the stage
to the other. There were about three dozen burners
in that length of pipe, and when the attempt was
made to relight them the gas first appeared to
burn like a small " Will o' the wisp" above the
heads of the bystanders, and then the flame de-
scended amongst them. The ladies used nothing to
render their dresses uninflammable. Each bought
her own ; but no accidents had ever occurred
through fire during the nine years he had been
connected with the theatre.

Thomas Sandley, the property assistant, stated
that he first saw the flames burning the lower part
of the deceased's dress, and then obseirevtesd,
notLa
h
Reviere, Madame Mazoni's pupil, endeavouring to
extinguish them, but considering this a dangerous
occupation for one so lightly attired, he told her to
proceed to a place of safety, then throwing a coun-
terpane over the burning girl, which was instantly
followed by other uninflammable material.
Joseph Corner, an assistant gasnian,spaiidpehse
werefirst
secure,
eacvuihaving previouslyb
r appliede,
uthtenol isgol: light
lookede trohathe
lto i e extinguishedsdeedone
nei
fso than a flame the
suddenly burst some feet upwards, and caught the
young Columbine's muslin dress. The gas pipe was
perfectly safe, as no one was allowed to go near it ;
but some one must have disconnected the gutta
percha from the iron tube whilst passing.
Ifythceonaccluscidioennt,thaantdcothualdt
William Champion, stage manager, thought that
separated in the confusion
the water joint might have been disconnected before
the gutta percha tube, but the most probable con-
clusion was that the tubing, being torn from the
carelessness irAhe Jurors
drawn
sa nfteesf afterwards
followed.twohhinaoaruddilbheet tnh evidence
exercised
was that a great deal of
the pipe,
water was the
joint chief
wcaasu sseoe
the lessee.

The Coroner agreed with that opinion, but ob-
jected to jurors making individual statements before
they were left to consider their verdict. He thought,
however, Corner had displayed a great want of
caution in not trying the tap before he attempted to
apply the light.
The jury returned a verdict of accidental death,
but recommended that screws should be provided to
fix the water joint, that the iudiarubber tubing
should be secured by a union joint, and wet blankets
should be kept at the wings, in order to be ready
in case of emergency.

THE DAILY SUPPLY OF COUNTRY MILK TO LON-
DON.—The great demand from London dairymen for milk
from the country districts, consequent upon the havoc
made in the metropolitan cow-sheds by the cattle plague,is
quite unprecedented ; and although a large number of
country dairy farmers have abandoned tho operation of
converting milk into cheese and butter for the immediate
transmission of the yield to-the great metropolis, tho in-
creasing demand exceeds tho supply. Seven railways
daily bring 13,145 gallons of country milk into the metro-
polis!

gence :

" In order to elaborate the plan in all its bearings,
to fix approximately the necessary sums, and to de-
termine the bases of the loan, it is necessary to
divide the labour into several general branches,
which might be :-1. Roads, bridges, and canalisa-
tion ; 2, railways ; 3, telegraphs ; 4, works at the
ports ; 5, mines ; 6, colonisation.

" Each branch would be represented by au intel-
ligent person having the necessary experience, who,
forming a committee under the presidency of your
excellency, would draw up the general project with
estimates of the cost and the plan of the loan.
"The persons for each group w-,1:1) be for roa.do, -
bridges, &c., Senor -Santingo Mendez ; for railwa7s,
the engineer Lloyds; for telegraphs, some official
well acquainted with the service and its expenses ;
for works at the ports, the Sub-Secretary of Marine ;
for mines, Senor Marcelino Rocha ; and for tolo-
nisation, Senor Maury. Your excellency will ac-
quaint me with the measures you may take, 'to this
effect. " MAximmAN.
" Alcaztfr of Chapultepec, Nov. 27."
An imperial decree has been published, organising
and regulating the telegraphic service throughout
Mexico, and stating the conditions to beentered into
by those to whom the Government may grant con-
cessions to construct and work telegraphic lines.
Government despatches will prAy half the rate
charged to the public. The Government is entitled
to inspect the lines from time to time, and, should
it be necessary, to place its own officials in any or all
of the stations. Contractors for the lines will be
allowed to take what timber they require for the _
telegraph poles from the national domains free of
charge. All correspondence of the Sovereign, that
relative to the military and police service, and all
governmental despatches marked urgent, will have
priority of transmission. The owners or contractors
of lines will regarded as Mexican subjects in all
things relative thereto, without being able to allege
foreign rights.

Another decree regulates the levies for the army
in Mexico. The conscripts' will be drawn by ballot.
The Emperor will determine at the close of every
year the number of men to be drawn, either to coni
plete existing or form new corps. Every Mexican
by birth or naturalisation, from 18 to 35 years of
age, will take part in the balloting, unless falling
under any of the specified exceptions. The term
of military service is fixed for six years, except for
those who have served their time in the rural
guard, who will have to serve only three years in
the regular army. The price of exemption is fixed
at $4OO. •
The official Gazette continues to register the sur-
render of Juarists in different provinces of the em-
pire, in consequence of the late stringent proclama-
tion against them.
The Esperanza of Queretaro of the 2:3d instant
says :

"We learn froM Tampico, on the Bth, that
General Mejia is making wonderful efforts at Mata-
moras, having many times repulsed the force of
4,000 men and 11 aims besieging the town. Our
readers already know that vessels have sailed from
Vera Cruz with reinforcements of troops for Ma-
tomoras."

The Gacctct of Monterey states that anarchy pre-
vails among the besiegers, Cortinas refusing to re-
cognise Escobedo, and the latter differing with
Canales.

The Moniteur publishes the following intern-

" The Minister of War has received intelligence,
via England, from the expeditionary corps in Mexico
to Nov. 28 from the capital of that country, and to
Dec. 20 from Vera Cruz. The whole of the infor-
mation transmitted by the Marshal Commanding-
in-Chief is satisfactory. Complete tranquillity pre-
vails in the greater part of the provinces as well as
in the capital; the sanitary state of the French
troops is good on all points, and no important mili-
tary event .has occurred since the last mail. Tho
decree of 3d October continues to produce excellent
results ; several chiefs of bands have submitted, and
among them Figueroa, who was at the head of the
malcontents in the State of Oajaca. Gen. Mendez
is actively pursuing the task he has undertaken of
State
in tehse diisnatrts
Sinaloa
;
completely pacifying Michoacan ; he is continually
traversing the country at the head of light movable
columns, and allows the dispersed bands no oppor-
tunity of reuniting. After the departure of Gen.
o his aantnatdeni
nlLa
pad t esN,hoGi his
ei arnp,
ip nRe ait
vrh
aan Sce
te
to embark at San Bias for Mazatlan, with 800 Mexi-
cans, and Gen. Lozada has started by land for
Rosario with his Indians. The successive attacks of
toAofYrepress ConcordiamrG
Escobedo on Matamoras, already mentioned, have
been resisted by Gen. Mejia in a manner which does
him much honour ; the National Guards, composed
of Mexicans and foreigners, have shown great
courage and self-devotedness. The Empress Char-
lotte, during her stay at Vera Cruz, just before her
departure for Yutacan, was received in the most
enthusiastic manner by the populations, and went
to the Palace of the Ayuntamiento in a car of hon-
our, which the people themselves insisted on draw-
ing. Her Majesty, who was deeply affected by those
marks of sympathy, embarked on the 20th Nov. on
board the Mexican vessel Tobasco, which was escorted
by an Austrian corvette. The Empress was ex-
pected to return to Vera Cruz between the 15th and
20th of December."
A letter from the city of Mexico says :
" The Minister of 'Public Works has written to
Marshal Bazaine an important letter to declare the
conditions on which concessions of land would be
made to soldiers of the French army whose term of
service is about to expire, and who have expressed a
desire to remain on the territory of the empire as
colonists. Surveys were going on with respect to
the railway to be constructed between Vera Cruz
and Puebla. The official journal has published
several decrees relative to merchant shipping, and
one grants premiums to vessels which shall perform
distant foreign voyages under the Mexican slag.
The Bank of Mexico is definitely constituted. The
treaty conceding it to the Comptoir d'Escompte of
Paris has received the imperial ratification by a
letter addressed on the 10th November to M. Dro-
mel, the representative of the new company, and is
conceived in the following terms :
" "The Emperor has deigned to approve of the
concession made in his name to M. Pinard by the
Commission of Mexican Finance in Paris, under the
dates of the 16th and 21st September, for the esta-
blishment of a bank in Mexico, as well as the
statutes of the said bank, drawn up in Paris on the
29th of the same month. I inform you of this in
reply to the request addressed to H.M., dated the
7th inst. "`P. CESA.R,
Under-Secretary of Finance.'
"The general revival of business has become
more marked. Large transactions have been done,
especially in cotton, the rates for which are still
firmer. An American house has just established a
manufactory of composition candles in this city,
being the first of the kind."