The Sun.
London, England, 1866-07-13 00:00:00

OCTOBER.

Curragh l6, 17 18
FRENCH RACING FIXTURES.
JULY.
Amiens
Abbeville
Le Pin 22 Caen 29, 30, 31
3UST.
I Le Mans
Laon l9, 20

Deauville..., 4, 5, 6
Rochefort 5
Bourge5...
Valenciennes
Moulins
Cherbourg l9

Tarbes l9, 22
Blois 26, 28
Baden-Baden 3l

SEPT.
Baden-Baden 3, 5, 7
Chantilly
„—.

IMBED.;
Paris (Autumn) 23, 30

OCT
Paris .
7
Chantilly l4, 18

OBER.
Vincennes

SHIPPING INTELLIGENCE. —This Day.

LONDON, July 13.—Wind this day at noon—South-
Westerly ; moderate breeze and fine weather.
CLYDE, July 12.—Wind N.W.—Sailed—Belpore, for
Bombay.
BRISTOL, July 12.—Wind S.W. - Sailed—Kate Agnes,
for Montreal.
SOUTHAMPTON, July 12.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—Avoca,
screw steamer, from Alexandria.

LIVERPOOL, July 12.—Wind S.W.—Arrived—City of
New York, steamer, from New York.
'GLOUCESTER, July 11.—Wind S.W —Arrived—Home,
from Quebec.

[BY ELECTRIC TELEGRAPH. I
GRAVESEND, Friday Morning.
Arrived, July 12 —Zenobia, from Cronstadt; Arethusa
from Dunkirk ; Socrates, from Dram.
Arrived, July 13—Zeta, from Cronstadt.
Sailed, July 12—Windsor Castle, for Bombay; Villa
Franca, for New York.
Sailed, July 13.—Star of Tasmania, for Otago.
DEAL, Friday Morning.
Passed, July 12.—Patricia, for Jamaica ; Plynlymon,
screw steamer, for St. Nazaire—both from London.
Passed, July 13. —Newcastle, from London for Calcutta.

THE NEEDLE GUN.—The Paris correspondent of
the No=Nide de Rouen relates the following anecdote:—
" The Emperor, the other day, in explaining the mechanism
of the needle-gun to the Prince Imperial, and wishing to
join example to theory, descended to the courtyard, and,
calling the sentinel, said to him, ' Load, and fire your
piece to amuse these boys,' young Espinasse being with
the Prince Imperial. Meanwhile, the Emperor who was pro-
vided with a needle-gun, charged and fired five times
when the soldier had only discharge his piece once. The
soldier was astonished. Ah !' observed his Majesty
smiling, one fires much more quickly with this musket
than with yours ; would you like to have one ? Cer-
tainly, Sire,' roplied the man eagerly. And so you shall,
said the Emperor."
The bulletin of the Paris Observatory gives the
following as the atmospheric situation of Europe
yesterday :—" The weather is calm on the coasts of
England and France. On the Bay of Biscay and
the Channel, the winds have turned to the E. and
N.E., and that movement is extending by degrees
to all western Europe. The barometer has fallen
since Tuesday 5 mm. at Bayonne and Bilbao ; and
although no despatches have reached us from Spain,
there cannot be any doubt from the general indica-
tions that a sudden storm has burst over the south-
west of Europe." The weather continues fine at
Paris, but with a considerably higher temperature.
At three yesterday, the thermometer marked 29 7-
10 Cent. (85 2-5 Fahr.)
ALARMING FIRE AT PECKIIA3I.—This forenoon,
about 10 o'clock, considerable alarm was caused iu
High-street, Poplar, in consequence of a fire breaking out
in the premises of Mr. Ballard ironmonger. The fire ori-
ginated in the basement, by a spark from a lighted candle
igniting some packages. The Surrey Volunteer Brigade,
as well as two land steamers, quickly attended, and an
abundant supply of water was procured. By affixing the
hose to one of Beck and Co.'s patent hydrants the firemen
were enabled to confine the fire to the lower part of the

premises.
FIRE IN THE BOROUGH.—At 55 minutes past
three o'clock this morning a fire was discovered by police-
constable 173, of the M division, in the drying-house at
the rear of the main building belonging to Mr. T. Bear,
tobacco manufacturer, No. 233, High-street, Borough.
Conductors Wheatley and Ball promptly attended with the
Royal Society's fire-escapes, and numerous engines of the
Metropolitan Brigade followed in rapid succession, and
owing to the combined exertions of all present the flames
were soon extinguished, but not until considerable damage
was done to the building and the contents. The origin of
the fire is unknown. The sufferer, it is understood, was
insured.

DROWNED WHILE BATHlNG.—Yesterday afternoon
a young man, about 23 years of age, named Mr.
William Saxton, living at New Brompton, went down to
Sheerness with his wife and a party of friends for the pur-
pose of spending the afternoon by the seaside. He went
with two friends into one of the bathing machines, and
appears to have got out a little beyond his dppth. Not
being able to swim, he became frightened and sank. A
strong ebb tide was running at the time, which had the
effect of driving him further from the shore. An officer
in the army was standing on the beach at the time, and he
immediately threw off his coat and plunged into the water
to try and save the drowning man. He succeeded in tak-
ing hold of him and got him some distance towards the
shore, when he was obliged to loose his grasp, and he
sank again. Although several persons were on the beach
at the time none of them could swim, and Mr. Saxtonnhwhase
drowned not a dozen yards from the machine which is
boat
had entered a few minutes before. After son24?nrtnn_
hour
was brought to the spot, and after draggitnogainegan
hbou
and a half the body was found and taken
be
ing public-house, where an inqvuehasalt.erennnnesvtaeurahyethlduouutignohg-dttahyiet.
Although large numbers of people
machines, the bathing cops', such emergencies as
tnheecsees.sary to provide a small boat for
selnntlSyliesCtoerAdsary.—aTnhelevNliafteibo
on
aatl
TAE
d toA thfloeseocciont_
Life-boat LIFEBOATS
Institution
32ft. long to Ballcotto
station,
the coast of Cork,den become inliteinufiotf the
r
on'actwiwnhailcsJhapncastetie.
d • society
by vs boat
Tonieeonnet
ntlshatda
nyt f orttehasnii obi
vbeyyaan—cenhvad been readily granted to the boat to Cork by
the Cork Steamship Company. The old lifeboat at Bally_
cotton had on several occasions been of great service in
saving life, and was instrumental in rescuing a few months
since, under very difficult circumstances, Id persons from
the ship Alarm, of Belfast.

BUSINESS AT THE JUDGES' CHAMBERS.— Mr.
Baron Bramwell was yesterday engaged with the common
law business of three courts at chambers. There were
as many as 30 summons on the counsels' file. Among
the new regulations is one to the effect that the acknow-
ledgments of deeds will only be taken by special appoint-
ment on Tuesdays and Fridays, at half-past 9 o'clock, the
applicant first satisfying the Judge of the necessity of the
case coming before him. The adjourned summonses are
daily taken at 10 o'clock. At the present time upwards of
100 summonses are dsy by day taken out.

BRIDGEWATER— ELECTlON—(Yesterda:

STATE OF THE POLL-11 O'CLOCK.
Vanderbyl ...................
Patt0n....... ......... 217
.......................... 208

Majority for Vanderbyl , 9
CLOSE OF THE POLL-4 O'CLOCK.
Vanderbyl
Patton 275

Majority for Vanderbyl

IMPERIAL PARLIAMEXT

HOUSE OF LORDS.—LAST EvEsmG,
The LORD CHANCELLOR took his seat OR URI VoolBaCk
at five o'clock.

PRIVATE BUSINESS.

The following bills were read a third time and passed :
Great North and Western (Ireland) Railway, West Brom-
wich and Walsall Railway, Lyme and Sutton, Spalding
and Bourne, and Norwich, Spalding Railway Companies,
and Bray Improvement.

THE LOSS OF THE AMAZON.
The Earl of HARDWICKE drew attention to the ox-
perirnents that had been recently made in gunnery, and
expressed his satisfaction that the result of the last experi-
ments had in all probability been the means of preventing
loss of ships and life. It appeared that the ram bow
gun was as disastrous to the ship from which,
it was discharged as to the vessel against which it was
directed, for if it destroyed the latter it sunk itself. Tkiere
was something defective either in the scientific pri;icipis
involved or the carpentry of the ship, and in either case
the subject was one of the greatest national importance.
ADMINISTRATION OF JUSTICE CHANCERY