The Sun.
London, England, 1866-03-09 00:00:00

TIIE 6UN, LONDON, FRIDAY EVENING, MARCH 9, 1866.

LAW INTELLIGENCE.—This Day.

COURT OF BANKRUPTCY.
(Before Mr. Commissioner Winslow.)
IN RE SANDERS, AN EX-AMERICAN CONSUL.

Bear Hunting in Norway.

" I'll bet you five to one in tenners,' you don't kill a
bear this summer, old fellow !"
" Done !" was my prompt reply. Such were the parting
words addressed to me by an old college chum at the club
the night before starting on my annual visit to the land of
bears and salmon.

For years it had been my ambition to shoot a bear ; and
as Norway is, I take it, the nearest country to our shores
where such creatures are to be found, I have been a pas-
senger thither every. year, by the Hull' and Christiana
steamer.

How I have toiled year after year without success; how
I have been a regular " bear slave ;" how I have camped
out night after night; how I have put myself to every
possible inconvenience, to say nothing of lying for hours
on my stomach in close proximity to the carcase of a de-
funct cow, is best known to myself ! Knowing also that
the first requisite for a bear-hunter is to give up his whole
time and thought to the one object, I have never even
wetted line on a salmon stream, have never hunted rein-
deer or elk; and if ever I have shot a ptarmigan or caught
a few mountain-lake trout, it has been solely "for the
pot," and not for sport !
I had with me a regular Norwegian bear-hunter, a re-
puted "bear-hero !" said to have slaughtered scores of
bears in his time. I suspect Ole was a humbug, and that I
should have done much better without him. My reason
for thus aspersing his character is this : he had frequently
heard me say, " that if I could only kill a bear, I should be
satisfied !" and, therefore, I assumed he argued " that it
was expedient for him to try and prevent me from
shooting a bear as long as ho could, fearing that if
once I succeeded, his lucrative employment as my
"wade-mecum" would be at an end. But if such
were his real feelings on the subject, he certainly suc-
ceeded in disguising them admirably, and in keeping
me well employed too. On an average, I should
say, once in a fortnight Ole would come to me with tidings
of "another bear," and thus never let hope quite die out of
my bosom.
One day when Ole was out of the way, news reached me
that a bear had been seen the eight before at a neighbour-
ing &actor (chalet). I determined, therefore,. to go and in-
vestigate the truth of the statement for myself, and reached
the said Scoter with-illy battery a little before sun-down.
Ole, I left word, was to folio* me.

The Scoter-girl was an old acquaintance, for I had often
had a glass of milk there when out hunting. She was ter-
ribly afraid lest the bear should kill any of her outlying
heifers, for one had certainly been prowling about the cow-
house for the last night or two, and as she had heard I had
just reached my old quarter, thought the " Engelksmarid'
would come and shoot the bear for her. Of course I gave
her a dollar on the spot.

I confess I could not see any traces of bear ; but the
girl's earnestness of manner re-assured me. Indeed, I had
so often been victimised by false reports that I began to be
rather cautious. That Ole was at the bottom of many of
them, I feel convinced now; but at that time I did not
suspect him.

Acting on my fair hostess's advice I ensconced myself at
tho window of the Sceter, whence I could have a complete
view of the whole terrain. There I sat hour after hour,
listening to the Inharmonious snoring of my companion,
who, en passant, I may add, made nothing of going to bed
in my presence. I was beginning to get tired, and was on
the point of throwing myself down on a bench to have a
nap, when I distinctly heard some animal approaching.
Nearer and nearer it came, till I could plainly discern the
outline of what seemed to me the body of a monstrous
bear. "At last," I thought, "at last !" and taking as steady
an aim as possible, I fired.

To rush out of tho hut, totally regardless of the risk to
which I might be expo Sing myself from the attack of a
wounded bear, was a moment's work. " Yes ! my bullet
had sped ,well !" " It's killed—it's killed," I shouted
through the night air in an exuberance of joy. 0 horror!
just, then, the unfortunate quadruped uttered not a growl,
which one might expect on such occasions from a wounded
bear,
.not a roar, but tho unmistakeable bellowing of a
dying calf. Yes ! there was only a mass of veal before
me, and that was all. It was the favourite heifer that had
strayed away the day before, and had now only returned
to be potted by the deadly bullet of an Englishman.

Never shall I forget the cries and the lamentations the
girl made over her dying favourite, or the buckets of tears
she shed. The loud sobs of the maiden in a treble key,
accompanied by the bellowings of the expiring calf in a
bass, made, indeed, such a concert in the upper regions of
the atmosphere as is seldom heard.
I can only say that if the girl humbugged me with re-
ference to the bear (and I feel convinced that she and Ole
were confederates in the matter), it served her right " in
re" calf ; and that I regret having paid her the 20 dollars 1
did for the calf, and the extra two dollars " hush-money,"
to say nothing about it, but to give out that " the heifer
had been made an end of by a bear.
Yes! bear hunting is an expensive luxury (?). Crest-
fallen and savage I returned home to my tent, and re-
counted all my mishaps to Ole, who naturally sympathised
with me.—Land and Water.

The Bishop of London, who has lately been ill,
had so far recovered as to be able to hold a confirmation
this morning at St. Pancras Church.

We hale reason to believe that at the meeting of

the Conservative party held yesterday, at the house
of the Marquis of Salisbury in Arlington-street, it was re-
solved that no oposition should be offered to the introduc-

tion of the Refoim Bill on Monday next, but that during
the interval its introduction and the second reading, which
it was understood would be fixed for after Easter, the party
would consider what course should be pursued, and Lord
Derby would take another opportunity of meeting his sup-
porters.

On Thursday Mrs. John Macfarren gave " An
Evening at the Pianoforte," in " An Entertainment on
Music and Musicians,' at the London and South-Western
Institution, Brimswick House, Wandsworth-road. Mrs.
Macfarren conunenced her entertainment with an interest-

ing discourse upon "Music, its Ancient and Modern In-
fluences ;" afterwards hinging to notice various composers,
with some remarks upon their history and associations.
Illustrations were given from the works of Weber, Haydn,
Handel, Mendelssohn, &c., in which Mrs. Macfarren's ad-
mirable execution at the pianoforte elicited rapturous ap-
plause. Several of the pieces had to be repeated, amongst
which may be! noticed "Fantasia on National Airs,"
"Bonnie Scotland," "Beethoven's Sonata in E flat," and
" The Butterfly" (Brissac's "Caprice Etude.") The vocal
illustrations were also given with pleasing gracic and were
greatly esteemed. The cauzonet, "My mother bids me
bind my hair" ;(Ilaydn), was rendered by Miss Marian
Walsh, and gained an encore ; and " Ou voulez-vous aller,"
sung by Madame Gilardoni (Gounod), elicited a similar
compliment. "Oh sweet summer morn," a charming duet,
from " She Stoops to Conquer" (G. A. Macfarren), was
sung by Madame Gilardoni and Miss Walsh, and was re-
peated with graceful ease. Another song, from the " Sol-
dier's Legacy" (Macfarren), was encored. Mrs. Macfarren
performed a selection from "Lucia di Lammermoor" at

the close, and brought to a successful termination a charm-
ing evening at the pianoforte.
SEBASTOPOL.—The St. Petersburg Gazette giveS
an account of the annual banquet of the defenders of Sebas-
topol, which took place on the 26th of February. General
Todleben, who was present, gave an interesting account of
the impressions produced on his mind by a recent visit to

the scene of his heroic defence. He visited the cemeteries
of the Russians and the allies, and said that both were
maintained in a becoming condition.

BETTER PROSPECTS FOR RAILWAY TRAVELLERS.-

It is said that the London and North-Western Railway
Company are now building sets of saloon carriages, in
which all the required and desirable comforts will be pro-
vided- There w' smoking-rooms, coffee-rooms, &e.
The express train will no stop at any intermediate station,
as water will be taken up at Rugby while the train is in
motion. The journey between London and Liverpool will
thus be performed in four hours.

POSITION OF FRANCE.—As an act of jus-
tice to America, it shouid bo borne in mind
that the sovereign people of that country do
not object to the empire of Maximilian merely
became it is an empire. They have never officially
objected to the imperial rule of Brazil and Spain on
the South, or of Russia, England, and France on
the North. They hold friendly relations with all
the contiguous possessions of those empires, and
hope to continue them. But the act of the Emperor
of France, in taking forcible control of the Republic
of Mexico and converting it into an empire against
the known wishes of a large majority of the people
of that country, is an act which, under the circum-
stances, cannot but be regarded as an unfriendly
one towards the United States. Americans would
be recreant to the lessons of their patriot fathers,
to all the records of their past history, to every
canon law of their Republic and every noble im-
pulse of the struggling nationalities, if they did
not protest against the usurpation of Napoleon.
In this protest it is the responsibility of the people
of America, and not the hasty action of parties, or
of a few armed citizens, that must be considered at
the tribunal of mankind. The President and his
constitutional advisers, acting under the authority
of both Houses of Congress, must be the only cri-
terion by which the conduct of America toward
France can he rightfully judged. This action of
the American Republic has yet to be officially prd-
claimed. Meanwhile, it would be no more than
fair to all concerned that all judgments for the pre-
sent be suspended. We are confident America,
means to do right by Mexico, and that she will do
no injustice to the position of France.
The quotation of gold at Paris is about per mule pm., and
the short exchange on London is 2.5.25 per .£1 sterling. On
comparing these rates with the English Mint price of £3
17s. 104 d. per ounce for standard gold, it appears that gold Is
nearly 3.lothe per gent. dearer in London than in Paris.