The Sun.
London, England, 1866-07-30 00:00:00

Arsenal at Woolwich, under the superintendence of I control than Portland was filled with pickpockets
Lieut.-Col. Freeth, Assistant-Superintendent of the from Boston and New York. On " Overend's
Royal gun factories. These guns were formerly Friday" in the city of London some of the panic-
cast-iron 32-pounders and 24-pounders, and have stricken depositors received their money, and in a
been converted into 64-pounders and 56-pounders few minutes after leaving the suspected bank were
bythe.firm of Sir W. Armstrong and Co., at Elswick. eased of all further dread on its behalf and all fur-
Twenty more of these guns arrived the same day at ther anxious care as to how it should be placed. In
Woolwich, and will at once be sent to proof. A 64- I the surging crowds that beset Lombard-street
pounder Palliser gun has also undergone a most I there were those who preferred taking the respon-
severe test of endurance. This was a 32-pounder, 1 sibility on themselves. It is in such scenes of dis-
weighing only 58 cwt. The test was as follows : , aster and misery that the ruffians reap their richest
Two rounds, with charges of 161 b. of powder and harvest, and the United States furnish no exception
1501 b. cylinders ; 10 rounds, with charges of 201 b. to ether wealthy communities.
of powder and 1001 b. cylinders; and, finally, 10 The Philadelphia lqquirer comments on the find-'
rounds, with 161 b. of powder and 641 b. shells. The ing of a committee of the Chamber of Represents-
-1 shells were loaded with their fuze holes towards the tives in a matter where its dignity was concerned.
powder, and, as the fuzes had been taken out, the In the course of a debate Mr. Grinnell, of lowa,
, : flash of the discharge set fire to the powder in the called General Rousseau, of Kentucky, a coward,
I 1 shells and burst them in the gun. It was generally and made merry over the assumed military incapa-
expected that this test would have burst the gun, city of that officer. The general was naturally
or that it would have blown off the muzzle or other- indignant at the malicious attack, and he waited to
wise have rendered it unserviceable; but beyond give Mr. Grinnell the opportunity to apologise. Mr.
the one fact of the bore being scratched by the Grinnell, however, did not avail himself of this
splinters of the shells no injury was perceptible, and opportunity ; so the officer armed himself with a
the gun was loaded with the same facility and fired cane and gave Mr. Grinnell a switching, to which
as before. It appeared from a subsequent examina- that gentleman submitted. The committee of the
tion that some of the shells had burst before they house decided that General Rousseau had no right
had moved, and that others had burst close to the to beat Mr. Grinnell, and that Mr. Grinnell had no
muzzle 'of the gun. A number of 641 b. shot were right to slander Mr. Rousseau. They recommend
then fired with 161 b. charges, but, instead of the i that Rousseau be expelled, and they express their
shot being rammed home, they were only pushed 1 disapproval of the conduct of Grinnell. With this
down to certain positions in the gun, so as to leave decision the Inquirer justly finds fault. It stands
vacant spaces between the powder and the shot. To to reason, if Mr. Grinnell had not called General
the astonishment of every one present the gun had Rousseau a coward, the latter would not have con-
not sustained the slightest injury. It was therefore Isidered it necessary to prove he was not by the "argu-
decided by the Ordnance Select Committee to put mentum ad hominuin." "Now without desiring to
the gun through a supplementary trial to ascertain defend by the slightest implication the conduct of
its maximum or highest power of endurance. Major General Rousseau, which we think undignified,
Palliser has expressed great confidence in its foolish, unnecessary, and demonstrating nothing,
strength, and states that he has no fear of the re- I except that he has a touch of- the bully in
suit of anyreasonable amount of proof, even beyond his composition, we cannot refrain from ex-
what is absolutely necessary. The trial, it is ad- I pressing a belief that the conduct of Mr.
milted, has already borne out the anticipations of I Grinnell deserves every punishment and cen-
the inventor and manufacturers, and has fully justi- sure which can be inflicted upon his adversary.
fled the recommendation of the Ordnance Select Is it nothing to call a gallant soldier a coward ?—to
Committee and their introduction of these guns for insinuate that he was an object of contempt to his
the cbnsideration of the War Department, to use up men? —thatlie was, in fact, a pretender and a sneak?
—is not a violation of truth in a matter affecting
the heavy stock of guns on hand.arges
willo be
t6th
their weight, their service .charges . of
a man's character of quite as much gravity and
or 81b of powder. Sufficient evidence, it is stated, equally censurable with an assault which is caused
has already been obtained to prove that we have thus by stinging words ? We think so, and our plan
a most efficient and reliable addition to our stock would have been to expel both, or to censure both,
oof rifled ordnance--a fact which, amidst the present or to resolve that no notice should be taken of the
difficulties which the Government is embarrassed for conduct of either."
want of serviceable guns, will be hailed with much The weather during the early part of the month
satisfaction, more especially as the two new guns appears to have been as hot on the other side of the
now pronounced successful—those of Major Palliser Atlantic as here. At Washington the thermometer
and Mr. Fraser—will be produced at a cost far
during the day kept steadily at 100 in th e shade. Seve-
below that of the present guns, in which the coup- ral cases of sun strokehad occurred, one of which had
try have long since ceased to have any confidence. proved fatal. At New York the heat was so intense
We have to record the death of Capt. F. E. Sey- that the streets were literally deserted. Indeed it
mour, R.N., which took place at Southsea, Hants, was dangerous during mid-day to walk in them,
on the 26th inst. The deceased entered the navy in for 30 persons died of sun stroke, and 80 others
1801, and in 1805, in the Leander, took part in the were injured by the same cause. The cholera still
capture of Le Vile de Milan, French frigate of 46 continues in some of the cities of the States, but in
guns, and the recapture of her prize, the Cleopatra, a fitful and intermittent manner, and with none of
32. In the Centaur he was engaged in the capture that virulence shown last year in the Mediterra-
of four heavy French frigates from Rochfort, after nean.
an action in which Sir Samuel Hood lost an arm, A brief address has been prepared by the Demo-
accompanied the expedition to Copenhagen, and cratic members of Congress, dated July 4th, cor-
witnessed the surrender of Madeira. As acting- dially approving the call for a National Union
lieutenant in the Centaur, in August, 1808, he Convention, to be held at the city of Philadelphia,
shared in conjunction with the Implacable, in August next, and indorsing the principles therein
74, in the capture of the Russian ship set forth. It is signed by Senators Davis, Johnson,
Sewolod, 74, in the sight of the Russian Hendricks, Guthrie, M'Dougal, and Wright; and
fleet near Rogerswick, after a furious conflict, in Representatives Niblack, Thornton, Kerr, Shanklin,
which the Centaur lost three killed and 27 wounded, Grider, Noel, Randall, Ross, Taber, Humphrey,
and the Sewolod 180 killed and wounded. He Hogan, Boyer, Bergen, Goodyer, Winfield,
afterwards served as lieutenant, chiefly on survey- Coffroth, Rouseau, Johnson, Eldridge, Dawson,
ing duties. Lieutenant Seymour was appointed Radford, Marshall, Strouse, Sitgreaves, Ancona,
Flag-Lieutenant to his Royal Highness the Duke E. N. Hubbell, Ritter, Harding (Kentucky),
of Clarence, under whom he accompanied Louis Glossbrenner, Wright, Rogers. M'Culloch, Le
XVIII. to Calais. Capt. Seymour was son of Lieut. Blond, Fiuck, and Trimble.
Francis Compton Seymour, grandson of Lord F. The United States Government has decided on
Seymour, Dean of Wells, and great grandson of not rebuilding the ruined arsenal at Harper's Ferry.
Edward, eighth Duke of Somerset. The depot was originally formed there to flatter
The following appointments have been made at Virginia. It had no particular advantages as an
the Admiralty :—Capt. C. S. S. Stanhope, to the armoury or for manufacturing purposes, except in
Ocean, commissioned ; Lieut. E. B. Wadlow, to the supply of Cumberland coal, whilst its isolation
the Gladiator ; Lieut. F. Rougemont and Lieut. R. from the seaboard and the cost of transportation
H. W. Cornwall, to the Ocean ; Lieut. J. W. Gam- made it a dear bargain to the Government. Gene-
bier, to the Cruiser; Clement Hirtzel, master, to ral Dyer, Chief of the Ordnance, reports that Har-
the Wyvern ; Sub-Lieuts. E. S. Nuthall and James
Bedingtield, to the Cruiser; Sub-Lieut. W. H. Jol- ' per's Ferry can never more be used, to advantage in
the manufacture of arms. He advises that the
life and Sub-Lieut. T. H. Leventhorpe, to the
ruined buildings and the land be sold, and the little
Ocean ; S. S. H. Dickens, C. W. Wright, L. W.
property that remains be transferred to the Great
Mathews, C. B. K. Smith, and J. S. E. de Watts-
vile, midshipmen, to the Bristol ;A. C. Hawkins West. This locality will lose all its old importance,
but it has given its name to actions which will long
naval cadet, nominated ; J. K. Laughton, naval
be remembered in that country. It was the scene
instructor, to the Excellent, additional, for service of John Brown's mad expedition in the autumn of
at the Royal Naval College ; Dr. A. Fisher, surg., 1859. When the war broke out it was held by
to the Fisgard, additional, for service in the Royal Lieutenant Jones, of the United States Army,
Marine Infirmary, Woolwich ; R. Curgenven, pay- with 43 men, who set the arsenals on fire, and
master, to the Ocean ; M. O,N. W.
G. Markham retreated into Pennsylvania, when the Virginia
assist.-paymaster, to the Cambridge; R. N. Halt', militia were marching to possess themselves of the
assist.-paymaster, to the Ocean ; H. E. Whitley, 15,000 stands of arms, and other munitions of
clerk, to the Ocean ;C. W. Jago, assist.-clerk, to war there stored. During the whole contest it
the Dasher ; and J. S. Darling, assist.-clerk, to the was the highway of armies, and the tide flowed
Ocean.
backwards and forwards, as fortune turned the
The statement in the Naval Intelligence of Wed- scale of success. There is not another spot in
nesday that the Antelope was the only vessel of her America in the neighbourhood of which there has
size in the navy under the command of a lieutenant been such hard fighting.
was an error, the Oberon, paddle steamer, on the
Coast of Africa, a vessel of similar tonnage and
the The United States have continual troubles with
Indians of the plains, and heavy expenses are
engine power, being under the command of Lieut. placed upon the Government to keep the roads tra-
il. Hand.
veiled by Western emigrants free, and to protect
the telegraph to the Pacific. In consideration of
this matter it is well to notice that at a recent con-
ference with Indian tribes one of the chiefs pro-
posed that a force of Indians be employed by the
United States, to act as guards and policemen on
the plains, under the direction of the Indian Bureau.
There is much merit in this idea. By taking dele-
gations from all the Indian tribes which inhabit the
country near the routes to the Pacific, there would
be a guarantee for good behaviour on the part of
the communities to which they belong, which could
not be obtained in any other way. The Indian
guard would have an influence which no force of
white men under military supervision could exert.
Men would be enrolled, also, who are used to fatigue,
who understand the country, and know how to deal
peremptorily with hostile bands. Once embodied
for that purpose the Indian patrols would be im-
bued with the proper spirit, and they would endea-
vour to repress the outrages of their associates. It
may be urged that the Indians are untrustworthy,
but they are not so when fairly dealt with. All
the troubles that have arisen between white men
and the Indians have been caused by dishonest and
unfriendly acts on the part of white men, who were
either unfaithful officers of the Government, or law-
less fellows who sought no other purpose than the
indulgence of their own avarice, cruelty, and pas-
sions. This suggestion in regard to this patrol is
certainly a good one, and it might be adopted at
least as a subject of partial experiment, and the
benefits and defects of the system could thereby be
thoroughly tested. -
' An American watch factory at Elgin, Illinois,
with $250,000 capital, will be ready to make 60 watches
per day. by September. Most of the stockholders were
formerly workmenksutdestructivehaas
Ca aur otr
tlWhi
nfii
naarl
et
papers
aam.
size
t Newbury,o f
t h givethe inland
t
i
n lanile
South
d particulars
towns,Carolina,
au
cotton-growing
which.iowhich
httTtihoehhene-ligrarsSanteoaowing country of that State. Tehcee nfitrree
sopfret
ande
place of much importance as th
very rapidly, and only stopped when there was no Inure to
r
burn. The loss is estimated at $200,000, on which there
was bluatteliti‘tfleobinilseurlaentcte reports that the fine weathere.
A
has given an impetus to the young cotton in Alabama,
I and the hope is expressed that the yield of Alabama will
not be less than 300,000 bales.
The wood clip in Harrison county, Ohio, the
present season, it is said, will reach over 800,000 pounds.
The citizens of Chicago have presented each
member of their Fire Department with a life and accident
insurance policy.
We are glad to hear that they are about to get
up a home for working
--'girls in Chicago.

Miscellaneous American News.

•

Portland, in the State of Maine, has been almost
destroyed by fire. Two thousand buildings, com-
prising one-third of the city, are in ruins. Every
bank and every newspaper-office has been devoured
by the flames. Thousands of people were rendered
homeless, and two millions sterling of property has
been destroyed. The fire commenced a little below
the end of High-street, in a boot shop. Upham's
mill and Brown's sugar house were soon in flames
—then Staples and Sons, and Richardson's foun-
dries. It next swept Graham's corner, then it
burned up as far as the old Varnhara House and
Pleasant-street, Temple-street, Union-street, and
Exchange-street were all consumed. It swept
lower on the northerly side of Fore-street to India-
street on the east, while on the west it moved along
diagonally across Middle-street and down to Cum-
berland-street, taking the Elm House, but sparing
the first parish church ; then from Chesnut-street
it made a clean sweep on the southerly side of
Cumberland-street, as far east as Garden-street. 1
The Custom House, being fire-proof, escaped, though greatly damaged. The City and County
Buildings in Congress-street were considered safe,
being nearly fire-proof, and the neighbouring resi-
dents there piled their furniture, but the whole was
consumed by the flames. Some fifty buildings were
blown up, but the wind was blowing a gale from
the south, and the sheets of flame flew along in
spite of every exertion. The lines of streets can
now hardly be:traced, and a space one-and-a-half
miles long by a quarter of a mile wide, appears like
a forest s with fragments of walls attached
to them.
of
The
hneoyless
are accommodated in tents,
cmv
in churches, and other public buildings, and efforts
throughout the States to furnish are being made
re-
lief to the sufferers.

It ishave been throughout
by the Portland
gratifying to seethheow prompt
Northern sthtaetesps
steto
fire. At Bangor, Boston,
afford relief to the sufferers
d Mayor Stevens, of
Biddeford, Albany,
laanrdgePrmoivnaisdensuceh,semrieheetdin;gs
s of these
Portland, directed the operation
awnere at once held, and
cities into the most useful channels to aid
only
inhabitants of his municipality ; but this
formed a small part of the assistance rendered.
Food, clothing, bedding, and building material were
forwarded in large quantities. The property of the
Five Cents Savings Bank is all safe, as well as the
Casco Bank. On opening the Merchants' Bank's
vault the contents were found uninjured. All the
records and files of the United States Circuit and
District Courts are also uninjured as well as Lowell
and Senator's jewellery vault. In strange contrast
with the good actions of a Christian and civilised
people are the proceedings of a set of thi
" roughs," who have made Portland under
and
these
cruel circumstances the scene of their operations.
Like the stormy petrel on a raging sea, no sooner
did the calamity break beyond the bound, of human

(From E. F. Satterthwaite and Co.'s Weekly Circular
July 25.)
Our latest advices from Now York, per "Java," are to
the 9th inst. All Governnient Stocks are strong and in
active demand, the favourable characler of the financial
statement for the fiscal year ending 30th June causing
renewed inquiry, which resulted in an advance of from
one to two per cent. In Railroad Stocks business was
limited, with the exception of Eries, in which the trans-
actions were heavy, equalling, perhaps, the entire list of
other Stocks. On the week the advance was $B, but the
market was fluctuating andtmeertain owing to the adverse
rumours ailoat...aState 5tOClO awl' Railroad Mortgages