The Sun.
London, England, 1866-07-23 00:00:00

The Loss of the Amazon,

The court-martial appointed by the Admiralty,
under the presidency of Rear-Admiral George G.
Wellesley, C. 8., resumed and concluded its sittings
on board H.M.S. Victory, at Portsmouth, on
Saturday.
The .Deputy-Judge-Advocate read the finding
a,act sentence of the Court as follows :

The Court arc of opinion that her Majesty's late
ship Amazon was lost on the morning of the 10th
of July by coming into collision with the late steam-
ship Osprey. That the collision was occasioned by
a grave error in judgment upon the part of Sub-
Lieutenant Alfred C. Loveridge, the officer of the
watch, in putting the helm of the Amazon to star-
board, instead of to port, when first sighting the
light of the Osprey, in contravention of the regula-
tion's for preventing collisions at sea.
That no blame is attributable to Commander
Hunter and the other officers and crew of the said
ship. That the efforts used to endeavour to save
her Majesty's said ship after collision, as well as"
the lives of the crews and passengers of both ships,
reflect the highest credit on Commander Hunter
and the officers and crew of H.M.S. Amazon.

"The Court adjudge the Sub-Lieutenant A. 0.
Loveridge to be dismissed from her Majesty's ser-
vice, but on account of the high character give°
him for zeal in the service,' they recommend him to
the favourable consideration of the Lords Commis'
sioners of the Admiralty, and the said Mr. A. G.
Loveridge is hereby so sentenced accordingly.
"The Court adjudge Commander Hunter and
the other officers and crew of the said ship to be
fully acquitted of all blame, and they are acquitted
accordingly."

The President then, banding Commander Hunter
his sword, said—" Commander Hunter, it is norr
my pleasing duty to hand you your sword, and t°
to express the gratification with which the Court
has received the testimony to the bright examPle
set by you to your officers and ships' company after,
the collision, and which was so worthily followed.

The Court then broke up.
After the decision had been given Mr. Per
Hennessey expressed on behalf of the owners of the
Osprey their sense of the strict impartiality of the
proceedings.

The Duke and Duchess of Cleveland and the Floe'
Misses Primrose left their residence in St. James's-square
on Saturday for Battle Abbey, their seat in Sussex, for 5
few weeks.

THE NEW PEERS.—The Northampton paper!
deny on authority the rumours which have beenpublishe'
in some of the London papers that Sir Rainald Knightloll
Bart., M.P., is to be raised to the peerage.
THE PORTRAIT EXHIBITION.—We understand that
the Lords of the Committee of Council on Education have
decided that the Exhibition of National Portraits at South
Kensington will be closed on Saturday, the 18th of August'
and that from Monday, the 6th of August, to the close, Oct
price of admission will be reduced to 3d. each person, 1112
children of schools for the poor, accompanied by the'.,
‘
teachers, will be admitted on payment of ls. for every 3v
students and one teacher.

PARTRIDGE V. TOOMER.—A. memorial is about to
be presented to the Home Secretary, submitting for consi"
deration the case of Mr. Toomer, convicted before gr.
Justice Shee, at the late Reading Assizes, of a rape 011
Georgiana Partridge. Observer.
SUICIDE OF A SOLICITOR.—On Saturday morning
a painful sensation was caused in Manchester by the 1111-
uouncement that Mr. Harrison Blair, a well-known solid-
tor, had committed suicide at his house in the Polyg°°'
Ardwick, by shooting himself through the head. The de-
ceased gentleman had become connected with some iron"
works, and it is rumoured that losses connected with these
had given him much uneasiness of mind.
WAR IN ABYSSINIA.—II Commercio of Cairo, under
date of July 7, states :--" A tremendous battle
imminent between the King Theodore 11. and Gubt‘sele'
who aspires to the crown, and has risen in opposition to the
despotism of Theodore. Vahro-Medina, the General °f
Gubassie, has placed the province of Tigro under contribly
tions of men, horses, animals of all kinds, provisions, 6,12 r
money. Both parties are making great preparations i°
war. According to the statements of the Abyssiniatt°(l
there will be not less than 150,000 combatants upon the gel
of battle. Consul Cameron and all the other EuroPee:
prisoners whom the newspapers had stated to have behe
released are still in the King's power at Pabretabor. I'd
news is so bad that we should wish it to be contradicts
but the source whence we have received it is one
renders it quite deserving of credence."
THE RIOT ON NEWCASTLE TOWN MOOR.—At I'l°,l
castle Assizes, on Wednesday, before Baron Martial `s,
men—named Finlay Lloyd, Kelly, Barron, Horrneir'il
Ward, Bonman, Ryan, Conley; O'Connor, and Conroy, 1_1,4
quarrymen and labourers —wore indicted for taking L'
in the late riot at Newcastle during the races. The c 1131;
against Barron was withdrawn on account of the sev
treatment he had sustained, but the other prisoners' evert
found guilty, and sentenced to 12 months' imprisehtne
with hard labour each.
The San Francisco (California) Bulletin ren3Arkt
Our readers scarcely need to be told that recent 11,,,
tempts at silk culture in California have been uniforins`67,.
successful. The climate is all that could be desired
the purpose; the soil is admirably adapted to the gr° „If
of the mulberry tree ; Chinese labour, which is ex`".' t: is
adapted to that business, is abundant and cheap, and 'he
by no means improbable that our State may become 1.
Italy or France of the United States in point of silk c"

ture. r rcl•
The American whale ship Mary, of New BeLL'°- .1
arrived at Honolulu May 25, with 90 barrels of sperm °11:
Mining stocks again declining, Ophir, $3OO ;
107 ; Yellow, Jacket, 690; Botcher, 177. Legal ten
deb