The Sun.
London, England, 1866-05-23 00:00:00

THE SUN, LONDON, WEDNESDAY EVENING, MAY 23, 18&.

LAW INTELLIGENCE—(This Day.)

COURT OF QUEEN'S BENCH.
(Sittings in Banco, before the Lord Chief Justice, and
Justices Blackburn, Mellor, and Shea.)
IN RE THE MAYOR OF CARDIGAN.

Mr. J. 0. Griffiths, on the part of an alderman of the bo-
rough of Cardigan, moved for a rule calling on the mayor to
show cause why he had neglected to convene a meeting of
the burgesses of the borough, to elect assessors, auditors,
and other municipal officers for the ensuing year, in com-
pliance with the act of Parliament. The learned counsel
pointed out some difference between the present case and
others of a similar character, and expressed a hope that
the Court, under the speciality of the case, would make a
rule absolute.

The Lord Chief-Justice said that the court could no'
grant a rule absolute, but would grant a rule nisi.

COURT OF COMMON PLEAS,

(Sittings at Nisi Prius before Mr. Justice Keating and a
Common Jury.)
DAVIE V. HARDING.

This was an action by the plaintiff, who is a wholesale
dealer in marble, to recover a sum of £32, the amount of
a promissory note, which the defendant, who is a trades-
man at Eastbourne, had passed to him, and which had
been dishonoured.

It appeared that the plaintiff is in business at Union-
street, Southwark, and that he had advanced goods to the
above amount to the defendant and his brother, the trans-
actions being distinct as regarded the latter. One of the
brothers became insolvent, and the question before the Court
was whether the promissory note which was jointly signed
could bo enforced against the defendant in its whole
amount.

The defendant contended that the note was a mere ac-
commodation transaction, and after a great deal of hard
swearing, tho jury found a verdict for the plaintiff for the
amount claimed.

POLICE JNTELLIGENCE.---This Day.

perfield did practise at the Southwark Police-court and the
Camberwell and Southwark County Courts.
• The prisoner—Not now; he is to be found at his office,
No. 3, Trinity-street, Southwark. I wish him to be here.
Mr. Paget—Let Mr. Chipperfield be summoned at once.
Inspector Beare can send a constable for him.
The prisoner was then remanded.

WESTMINSTER.
SINGULAR SCENE IN A POLICE COURT.—John Collins, a
tall, powerful man, was charged with gross misconduct at
the house of Mr. Humphreys, the Duke of Clarence,
Market-street, Westminster.
On Mr. Humphreys standing up in the witness-box the
magistrate requested him to state his complaint.
Mr. Humphreys—He is not the man.
Mr. Arnold —Who is not the man ?
Mr. Humphreys—The man standing before you.
Mr. Arnold—What do you mean ? You gave a man
named John Collins into custody last night. Is this John
Collins ?
The Police—This is John Collins.
Mr. Humphreys —But he is not my man, whatever his
name is.

Mr. Arnold—Where is the constable who took tho
charge, John Smith.
John Smith stood forward.
Mr. Arnold—ls this the man you had given into your
charge last night ?
Smith—lt is the same.
Mr. Arnold—What do you say to that Mr. Humphreys.
Mr. Humphreys—I say that this is not my man. Ho
was much shorter. There is some mistake.
Mr. Arnold—This is very extraordinary.
Police-constable Aspinal—This is the man I helped to
take.

Mr. Arnold—Can anybody throw any light upon this
matter ?
Defendant, with a strong Milesian accent, sure I'm not
the man at all.
Sergeant Buckley—There may by possibility be some
mistake, for this reason. After the man charged by Mr.
Humphreys had proceeded a little distance he was rescued
by some friends. The constable pursued, and finding this
man crouched behind another at the Two Brewers, they no
doubt took him, believing him to be the man.
Police-constable Aspenal -This is the man.
Mr. Humphrey's agairi-sfood in the witness-box and said
—He is not the man.
Mr. Arnold—Then he is discharged.

The Oxford Music Hall.

The entertainments provided for the Whitsuntide holi-
days at this popular metropolitan music hall are exceed-
ingly attractive, and as a natural result the splendid build-
ing has been crowded to excess during the week. Th
great popularity that now attaches to the music of Offen-
bach in London is in a vary great measure to be attributed
to the spirited managing director of the Oxford, because he
was the first to introduce it into the metropolis, and since
that time it has well maintained its placelin his programme.
In order to vary the entertainment as much as possible, a
selection has been made from Adolph Adam's sparkling
operetta of "If I were King" to solos which have been
confided to Miss Russell, Miss Fitzhenry, Mr. Dalton, and
Mr. Evans, who render the music in the most finished
artistic manner. The applause on each occasion of its
performance is universal, and although perhaps an encore
for the entire repetition, if made at once, would, of course,
be refused, yet the audience availed themselves of their
undoubted privilege in the most liberal manner, and in-
variably encore every solo. Miss Russell, however, takes
the lion's share of the applause, some times she has fre-
quently to curtsey and curtsey again and again, in order
to excuse herself from a third repetition of her exceed-
ingly brilliant piece towards the close of the selection.
The comic, element here is also in great force, and the
laughter caused by Mr. Randall, Messrs. Duriah and
Davis, is always elicited without the slightest approach to
vulgarity. It would be impossible to make up aholidaypro-
gramme without gymnastics, and accordingly Mr. Morton
has secured the services of some of its most talented pro-
fessors, viz., Messrs. Persivani, D'Ronde, Segundo, and
Mello], each of whoM perform a series of graceful wonders.
There is a competitor at the Oxford with Ethardo of the
Crystal Palace, the ‘' Spiral Ascensionist," in this instance
delighting in the name of Eurardo. Altogether the Oxford
certainly presents the most varied amusements in the
metropolis ; and therefore it is not surprising to see it so
largely patronised by those whose great desire is pleasure
and amusement.

The Canterbury Hall.

-o-

This, the first and oldest music-hall ever established,
still successfully maintains its reputation for excellence.
The holiday-makers on_ the south side of the Thame
nightly flock to it in thousands, a certain and indisputables
evidence that they highly appreciate the endeavours made
for their special amusement. The picture gallery is con-
stantly being enriched with splendid additions, and the
vocal department is nightly reinforced by the best avail-
able talent. Like the Oxford, a capital selection
of operatic music is invariably performed every
evening, and the comic talent here is represented
by two humorous vocalists, whose reputation for fun is
without parallel—viz., Mr. Arthur Lloyd and Mr. Vance.
A delightful feature in the programme of the Canterbury
is the English glees and madrigals, and certainly all those
who desire to hear right down thorough English melody
cannot find a place of amusement where that is given in
greater perfection than at the Canterbury.

The Coal Question.

(From the Mining Journal, May 19, 1866.)

" This is a question," says Mr. W. Stanley
Jevons, " of that almost religious importance which
needs the separate study and determination of every
intelligent person. And," he continues, referring
to the forebodings, of those who suppose our stock
of coal to be running short—" if we find that we
must yield before the disposition of material wealth,
which is the work of a higher Providence, we need
not give way to weak discouragement concerning
the future, but should rather learn to take an ele-
vated view of our undoubted duties and opportuni-
ties in the present."

Learning that the rate at which the exhaustion o:
_ _

our cgal beds is going on is about 96,000 acres, of
a yard in thickness, per annum, we can well under-
stand thinking minds are beginning to feel alarm,
and to inquire how long our deposits of fuel will
last with this enormous drain upon them. The
uncertainty which at present surrounds the whole
question naturally tends to increase the apprehen-
sion that we may upon some winter's morning, at no
very remote period, awake to the annoying fact that
the coal-cellar of the United Kingdom is empty.
There are several points in connection with this
question upon which we propose from time to time
to write; at present our intention is to show
the strange uncertainty which surrounds so vital a
question. It must be remembered that the evi-
dences of this uncertainty given in the following
computations are of the most decided character, all
of them having been made by men professing to
have special information respecting the coal fields
with which they deal.

FIRST, OF THE NEWCASTLE COAL FIELD.
M'Nab, in 1792, in a Treatise on the Coal Trade -
in Williams's Mineral Kingdom, gives the
durition of this field as ... 360 years.
Thomson, in 1814, in Annals of Philosophy 1000 years.
Hugh Taylor, in 1830, Report on Coal Trade 1727 years.
Dr. Dockland, Bridgewater Treatise ... ... 400 years.
G. C. Greenwell, in the Transactions of Mining
Engineers, gave the duration as an years.
T. Y. Hall, after a very careful examination of

the same field
Sir William Armstrong says, in his address as
president of the British Association, so far
as this coal-field is concerned, at the present
rate of working, it is generally admitted that
exhaustion will take place in 200 years.
Handel Cossham, in a paper read before the
mining engineers of South Wales, says,
speaking of the Durham and Northumber-
land coal-fields, the thin seams alone would
supply the present generation for 400 years.
Edward Hull, in his "Coal-fields of Great Bri-

... 256 years,

baba," second edition, gives the period as 450 years,
SECONDLY, OF THE SOUTH WALES COAL-FIELD.

11. Hussey Vivian, M.P., in his speech some

years since on the French Commercial

Treaty, says, I arrive at the conclusion that

South Wales could supply all England for.,. 500 years.
And her own consumption for„. 5000 years.
Edward Hull, in his book already quoted, says
supposing the production of future years to
amount to ten millions, the supply would
last for ...
„. 1600 years.
THIRDLY, OF ALL OITR COAL-FIELDS.
McCulloch, in his Dictionary of Commerce,
says—calling her coal mines the coal cellars
of the great city, there is in them a supply
which at the prosentrate of expenditure will
last for .„ ,„ 2000 years.
R. C. Taylor, of America, in his book on coal,
estimates the duration of all the British coal
beds as ...
„. 1700 years.
Sir W. Armstrong writes—The entire quantity
of available coal existing in these islands has
been calculated to amount to about
80,000,000,000 tons, which at the present
rate of consumption would be exhausted in 930 years.
but with a continued yearly increase of
2,500,000, tons would only last ...
Edward Hull writes—The increase, as I have
shown, amounts to 1,500,000 tons per annum,
or 150,000,000 tons in a century; with the
above rate of increase, it (the coal) would

212 years

only be sufficient for upwards of
From this it will be evident that no dependence
can be placed upon any computation that has yet
been made. Mr. H. Hussey Vivian, who, in 1860,
told us that "it was perfectly absurd to talk of
the exhaustion of coal in this country," has given
notice that he will move for the appointment of a
Royal commission to inquire into the future pros-
pects and present state of our coal trade. Sir Geo.
Grey has informed the house that the Government
are in correspondence with Sir R. Murchison on the
subject, and that it is probable the inquiry will be
committed to the care of the Geological Survey and
the Mining Record-office.
Whatever course may be adopted, it is to be hoped
that it will be carried forward in perfect indepen-
dence of all trade interests ; that it will be regarded
as a religious duty to determine, with all possible
exactness, the quantities of coal remaining un..
worked in the existing collieries ; and that the
highest geological knowledge and practical expe-
rience will be brought to bear' on the examination
of the country covered by the Permian rocks and
the New Red Sandstone, so as to determine what
the probable extension of known coal-fields may be.

COURSE OF EXCHANGE—Last Evening.

Amsterdam Short. 11 15
Ditto 3 Months. 12 0
Rotterdam
Antwerp — 25 55
Brussels
Hamburg
Paris Short 25 0
Ditto 3 Months. 25 40
Marseilles
Frankfort on the Maine 119
Vienna, — 13 40
_ .

11 17
12
12
25 62}
25 624
13 1
25 12
25 50
25 60
120
13 60
13 60

Trieste
Petersburgn
Berlin

13 30
24i
6 29

Madrid
Cadiz
Leghorn
Milan
Genoa
Na litssolusotimmeems

45
46
28 0
28 0
28 0
28 0

4Gf
47
28 50
28 5.0
28 50
28 00