The Sun.
London, England, 1861-01-18 00:00:00

FRIDAY EVENING, JANUARY 18.

A Berlin letter in the Augsburg Gazette speaks
of the probability of a commercial crisis in that city, and
which has begun to manifest itself by numerous failures.
Another letter from Berlin states that the severe
cold which prevailed during the funeral of the late King
caused illness among many of the persons who were pre-
sent. More than 200 of the soldiers who lined the streets
were obliged to go into the hospital, and some of them have
since died. A number of horses have also perished from the

same cause.
ROYAL FREE HOSPITAL, GRAY'S-INN-ROAD.—At
a quarterly meeting of governors, held yesterday in the
board-room of the hospital, General Watkins in the chair,
it was officially announced that the Right Hon. the Lord
Mayor, William Cubitt, M.P., had fixed on Tuesday, March
19th next, to preside at the annual dinner to be held at the
Freemasons' Tavern, in support of this excellent charity.
The Sheriffs, Alderman Abbiss and Mr. Lusk, with many
other city gentlemen, have signified their intention of being
present on the occasion to support the Lord Mayor.
THE BATTALION OF ST. PATRICK.—The follow-
ing notice appears in the Morning News of this day :—" In
reply to many letters received, Major O'Reilly begs to
state that only a few medals have yet been received from
Rome and given to officers. As the medals are received
due notice will be given of the way in which they are to be
obtained by the men. No emigrants for Italy are at pre-
sent required ; when such are wanted, Major O'Reilly will
communicate with those who have written to him. It is
not in Major O'Reilly's power to obtain for discharged
men the amount of bounty unpaid at the time of the disem-
bodiment. Each man was furnished with a free passage
home, at a cost far greater than the amount which was to
be paid for four years' service."
COUNTY OF ABERDEEN. The: contest for the
representation of the county of Aberdeen may be said to be,
for the present at an end—the Liberal candidate Sir Alex-
ander Bannerman, of Crimenslogate, having withdrawn.
Sir Alexander, who was abroad when the vacancy, by the
death of the late Earl of Aberdeen occurred, only arrived
in Aberdeen on Monday, whet he found, according to his
address in which ho announces his withdrawal from the
contest, that his absence had been so much against him,
notwithstanding his agents and friends had worked well for
him, his best course would be to retire. The field is thus
left to the Conservative candidate, Mr. Leslie, of Warthill.
It'is understood, however, that the Hon. Arthur Gordon,
the youngest of the Aberdeen family, who is a great
favourite in this county, has been written to.
INSUFFICIENT PREPAYMENT OF NEWSPAPERS
1,011. THE UNITED STATES AND CHlNA.—Owing to a dis-
regard of the official regulations upon the subject, which
are clearly stated at pages 33 and 46 in the " British Postal
Guide," No. 19, many letters addressed to the United
States and Canada are posted in this country either
unpaid or insufficiently paid, and are therefore not for-
warded, but sent to the returned letter branch for disposal.
It seems tobe forgotten that such newspapers must be pre-
paid one penny each, whatever number may be contained
in a single packet, and that the charge is not regulated by
weight, as is the case with unstamped newspapers
sent through the post in this country. It has also
been observed that a fraudulent practice prevails,
to a considerable extent, of enclosing letters or
other articles in newspapers sent to or received from foreign
countries, especially America, which renders them liable, as
the least penalty, to be charged with full letter postage ac-
cording to their weight. The officers of the department are
strictly enjoined to examine, as far as possible, the newspapers
passing through their hands to or from foreign parts, and to
enforce the official regulations wherever they may have
been infringed ; and it is thought right to draw the atten-
tion of the public to this matter, with the view of prevent-
ing the occurrence of future irregularities. By command
of the Postmaster-General.—ROWLAND HILL, Secretary.
THE GREAT SHIP COMPANY AND JOHN SCOTT
RUSSELL.—This case came before the Court of Queen's
Bench on two rules obtained last term, one on behalf of the
company and the other on behalf of Mr. Scott Russell.
The differences between the parties having been referred to
three gentlemen, civil engineers of great eminence, one of
them being Mr. Hawkshaw, they had made an award de-
claring Mr. Russell was entitled to receive from the com-
pany a sum of £lB,OOO. The company, however, refused
to comply with the award, on the ground that the arbitra-
tors had exeeeded their authority in investigating claims as
to extras not within the terms of the submission, and like-
wise because the award was bad on the face of it, in that
making it to appear that items of Mr. Russell's claims were
correct by the award. Mr. Russell had been paid a sum of
£119,000 ; but his total claim against the company amounted
to £149,650. On the other hand the company had counter
claims against Mr. Russell, principally on account of his
not having fitted the ship for sea for the sum originally
contracted for. The judgment of the court was that both
rules must be discharged, and that Mr. Russell should be
left to his remedy of an action on the award against the
company.
A VERY curious phenomenon—which illustrates
the severity of this season in a very striking manner—has
been ;recorded by naturalists as having been witnessed in
the neighbourhood of Pontefract and Doncaster. It is said
that the. intensity of the frost has affected the plumage of
the birds in that district, and that several which have been
shot have proved quite piebald. Every one who has dab-
WA in artic travels—pleasant reading by a bright fireside in
latitude 521—will remember that the plumage of the birds
of the arctic regions is naturally colourless and white. It
requires the genial warmth of sunnier climes to provide the
humming-bird with its irridescent court-dress, and to clothe
the parrot—that harlequin of the woods—in its brilliant
motley. Just now it is Northward-Ho with our poor little
English birds, and it is to be feared that as far as they
are concerned the frost will finish the task of destruction
which the floods of last year in the breeding time had too
effectually begun. If so, we shall miss them next season ;
and discover to our loss that they have another use in the
economy of nature than merely to make our hedge-rows and
coverts delightful with song.—Once a Week.
THE SYLPHIDE SCANDAL.—The etery Tele-
graph has " been honoured with the subjoined communi-
cation from the Marquis of Downshire :"—" Royal Yacht
Schooner Sylphide, Naples, Jan. 6. Sir,—The statement
of what is said to have occurred on board my yacht, copied
the end of last month from the Manchester Guardian into
several newspapers, is false, and totally devoid of a vestige
of foundation ; nor had anything occurred on board, or
ashore, directly or indirectly, to give any colouring what-
ever for such a villanous calumny and lie. The man who
forged this production, whether he be an Englishman or a
foreigner, is a wilful liar and a slanderer, and I will leave
no means untried to punish his audacious calumnies. Ido
not, of course, know how far I might have gone, in my
exasperation, had the statement been true, but this I do
know, that if I catch this scoundrel, I will throw him over-
board ; nor will I trouble myself further about such worth-
less carrion.--I remain, Sir, faithfully yours, DOWNSHIRE.
—To the Editor of the Newry Telegraph."
THE DUNDRY MURDER.—We regret to learn
that the condition of George Waterman, the husband of
the woman so brutally murdered on the evening of the 9th
inst., and who was himself very severely beaten, has un-
dergone an unfavourable change. :Yesterday morning
symptoms of an alarming naturelpresented themselves, and
it was feared that Waterman would not survive. The re-
mains of the murdered woman were interred yesterday in
Dundry churchyard, in presence of a large number of spec-
tators. The money which has been found in Waterman's
cottage, and to secure which was the presumed object of the
murderers, has been handed to a nephew of Waterman,
who has undertaken to invest it in some bank for his uncle's
use, should he survive.
A MAN KILLED AT A SHOOTING MATCH.—A
shocking catastrophe happened at Malvern, Worcester-
shire, on Wednesday afternoon. A pigeon-shooting
match was held in a field in the suburbs of that town,
when three silver cups were shot for. A man named Col-
lins, the boots at the Unicorn Inn, was employed to place
the pigeons in the trap, and had just placed a bird in
that receptacle in the regular way, and was walking
towards the shooters for the purpose of pulling the
string and liberating the bird, when it happened
to be the turn of Mr. Allflat, architect, of Malvern,
to shoot, and he had cocked his gun for that purpose.
As Collins was walking towards him, Mr. Allflat
turned round to speak to some one near, having his
hand upon the trigger, when, either from slipping on
the frozen ground, or from some other cause, the
hammer of the gun fell on the nipple, the gun went off,
and being at the moment pointed at Collins, who was only
a few yards distant, the whole charge entered his body, a
great portion of it passing into the heart and lungs. With
a groan the poor fellow fell to the ground, blood gushing
from the wound. A surgeon was quickly in attendance,
but his services were of no avail. He died almost instan-
taneously. Of course this awful event at once put an end
to the sportS of the day.
WESTMINSTER PALACE HOTEL.—This extensive
structure is now completed, and will be opened to the public
by the end of the month. It is a fine building, occupying
an extensive frontage in Victoria-street, and overlooking
the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey. It is
six stories high. The porch or entrance consists of an
elegantly sculptured design, and the grand entrance has an
opening over it to the roof, terminating in a sky-light. The
galleries are lighted by side windows. The public coffee-
room is 90 feet long by 30 wide, the richly ornamented
ceiling being supported by scagliola columns. Next to it is
the dining-room, 70 feet long, with numerous reception
rooms, a library, ladies' coffee-room, and smoking-rooms.
The other stories comprise sitting-rooms and mites of
apartments, and some 120 bedrooms and baths. The ex-
lent of the structure may be inferred from the fact that
there are 700 rooms in all, 140 of them being occupied by
the India Council. The cooking department, which already
supplies the India House, is on a scale commensurate with
the other departments, and the general tariff is similar to
those of the Great 'Western and Euston Hotels. The hotel
it is expected will be a great accommodation to persons
visiting London during the Parliamentary session. Owing
to the great height of the building, and the consequent
tedious ascent that would have to be made to get upstairs,
an ingenious contrivance in the shape of a hydraulic lift has
been designed, by means of which, seated on a sofa with
their luggage, visitors may ascend and descend from or to
all of the six stories at pleasure.

1861.

L'Ef
NE
\it j.

(REUTER'S TELEGRAMS.)
NAPLES, JAN. 1.6,

Signor Poerio has been entrusted with the
formation of a new Administration. This news
has produced an excellent effect at Naples.
The reactionary bands in the Abruzzi have been
beaten. Naples and the provinces are tranquil.

VIENNA, FRIDAY.

The Official Wiener Zeitung of to-day says :
The violent proceeding of the Comitat of Neutra
towards the Court of Justice of that Comitat, have
caused the Government to oppose.energetically this
evident act of sedition. According to telegraphic
advices received here the Court of Justice of Neutra
has, without the employment of force, been re-esta-
blished, and its officers have been enabled to fulfil
their duties. The National Bank of Austria has
declared a dividend of 28 florins,

MADRID, JAN. 17.

The Prince of Asturias is convalescent.

The Ministry has declared in the Cortes that the
statement that the officers of a Spanish vessel had
given advice to the Neapolitans, as to placing their
guns in a better direction, is without any founda-
tion.

The Spanish navy has received orders to act in
conformity with the policy of the Government,
which is to remain neutral.

COPENHAGEN, lAN. IG.

The Berlingske Tidendc announces that the
Minister for War has caused the whole of the
infantry to be supplied with rifled muskets, and
that steps have been taken to increase the num-
ber of horses for military purposes, and for the
speedy recalling of the soldiers on furlough.
The same journal also says that preparations
are being made for the evacuation of the arsenal
of Rendsburg.
The military corps of engineers has been or-
dered to submit to the Government plans for the
extension of the fortifications of Danenwicke and
of the redoubts of Friedericia.

The artillery is to receive several rifled bat-

,eries.

FRANKFORT-ON-THE-MAINE, JAN. 17.

In to-day's sitting of the Federal Diet the two
committees appointed to consider the proposition
of Oldenburg submitted the following proposal :
" That, as the patent of the 25th September,
1859, and the financial law of July, 1860, must be
considered as illegal—they not having been
sanctioned by the Estates—Denmark should be
summoned to make a declaration within six
weeks in reference to her fulfilment of the Pro-
visorium, in conformity with the resolution of the
Federal Diet of the Bth March, 1860; and that,
in the event of her non-compliance, federal
execution should be declared against Denmark."

CONSTANTINOPLE, Sax. 12.

General Klapka is in the Principalities preparing
for a rising in Hungary. The Danube is now
closed by ice. The arms brought by the Sardinian
ships are to be landed in Montenegro, whence
they will be despatched to the Banat. The trials
at Beyrout have been concluded. The Druse
prisoners were sentenced to death, and the
Turkish to exile. The Hasne Tavilis have declined,
but the rate of exchange has risen,

MARSEILLES, JAN. 17.
Three vessels coming from Gaeta and Messina
returned last night to Toulon.
The Fontenoy alone remains off Gaeta.

THE CALCUTTA, CHINA. AND AUSTRA
LIAN MAILS.
SOUTHAMPTON, FRIDAY.

The Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer
Indus, Captain Weeks, has arrived with the above

mails.

The Indus brings 59 passengers, including Sir
Robert and Lady Peel and Lady Jane Hay.
She also brings £29,121 in specie.
On the 7th instant she spoke the Masilia and the
Valetta, on the Bth the Euxine, on the 9th the brig
Mary, of Whitby, on the 10th the steamer Merchant.
The British bark Mary Miller had gone ashore
off Gibraltar.

The steamer Euphrates broke her main shaft on
her voyage to Car thagena. She will be towed to
Liverpool by the Milan, from Gibraltar.
Upwards of 2,000 merchant vessels bad been
detained nearly two months in the Mediterranean
by late westerly winds. They were liberated by a
strong Levanter on the 11th inst.

At Gibraltar exchange on London was quoted at
50Z to 501; on Paris, 529 ; o n Marseilles, 529;
Genoa, 530 ; Madrid, Seville, and Valencia, at par.
Freights unaltered.

FRANCE.

PARIS, JAN. 18.

A Toulon journal announces that Vice-Admiral
Charner, commander of the French naval station
in the Chinese Seas, has ordered back to France
the greater part of the vessels composing his squad-
ron.

BOURSE, Jan. 17.—There has been but a very
limited amount of business doing, and prices have
slightly receded, on a rumour that the Bank of
England have it in contemplation to make a further
rise in its rate of discount. For the Account
Threes are now at 67f 30e ; Mobilier, 645 f ;
Orleans, 1,367 f 50c; Northern, 955 r; Mediter-
ranean, 898 f 75c; Austrian and Lombard, 465 f.
The following were the last quotations :-
4i per per Cents .4. 96 80 Credit Fonder 922 50
Do end month.... 96 75 Belgian 4t 9B 25
3 per Cents
Do. end month 67 25 Roman
Bank Shares 2880 —1 Austrian
Credit Mobilier.... 656 25 ' Spanish Threes 4B
Do. Account 653 75 Home Debt .