The Sun.
London, England, 1861-02-11 00:00:00

SEMI-OFFICIAL NOTIFICATIONS.

Her Majesty has signified her intention to enrol the King
of Prussia in the list of Sovereigns who are Knights Ex-
traordinary of the Illustrious Order of the Gartar. A
special mission, at the head of which will be a nobleman of
high rank, will proceed to Berlin to assist at the investi-
ture of his Majesty William I.
The Queen has appointed the Marquis of lluntly Lord-
Lieutenant and Sheriff-Principal of the county of Aber-
deen.

The Queen has appointed the Rev. Andrew Wilson, as-
sistant and successor to the Rev. David llarris, a minister
of the church and parish of Fearn, in the presbytery of
Fearn.

Mr. Edward John Stapleton has been appointed a junior
clerk at the Home-office, Whitehall.
The Lord Chief Justice of the Queen's Bench has made
the following arrangements in the Masters' Office on the
Crown side of the court :

Mr. Norton will be promoted to the office of Queen's
Coroner ani Attorney, in the place of the late Mr. Corner.
Mr. J. G. Malcolm, of the Home Circuit, will succeed
Mr. Norton as Master.

The place of Assistant Master of the Crown Office has
been abolished.

The list of new Queen's Counsel, as published, is incom-
plete,:and in some respects incorrect, although most of the
names mentioned will be found in tho new additions to the
ranks of her Majesty's Counsel.

BILL TO ABOLISH CHURCH RATES.

The following is the bill prepared and brought
in the House of Commons by Sir J. Trelawny,
Mr. Dillwyn, and Sir Charles Douglas :
" Whereas church rates have for some years
ceased to be made or collected in many parishes by
reason of the opposition thereto, and in many other
parishes where church rates have been made, the
levying thereof has given rise to litigation and ill-
feeling: And whereas it is expedient that the
power to take church rates should be abolished :
Be it therefore enacted by the Queen's most excel-
lent Majesty, by and with the advice and consent
of the Lords Spiritual and Temporal, and Commons,
in the present parliament assembled, and by the
authority of the same as follows :-1. From and
after the passing of this act no church rate shall
be made or levied in any parish in England or
Wales. 2. Provided always, that in any parish
where a sum of money is at the time of the passing
of this act due on the security of church rates to
be made or levied in such parish under the pro-
visions of any act of parliament, such rates may
still be made and levied pursuant to such provisions
for the purpose of paying off the money so due, but
not otherwise, until the same shall have been
liquidated. 3. Any church rate made at any time
before the passing of this act may be collected and
recovered in the same way as if this act had not
been passed. 4. This act may be cited as " The
Church Rate Abolition Act, 1861."

The Speaker will give his first parliamentary
dinner on Saturday next, at his residence in the New Palace
at Westminster.
Lord and Lady John Russell had a dinner party
on Saturday, at their residence in Chesham-place.
BUSINESS IN THE HOUSE OF LORDS.—The fol-
lowing order relating to private and judicial business before
the House of Lords was agreed to on the 7th instant :
"Ordered, that this house will not receive any petition for
a private bill after Tuesday, the 26th day of March next,
unless such private bill shall have been approved by the
Court of Chancery ; nor any petition for a private bill
approved by the Court of Chancery after Thursday, the
16th day of May next. Ordered, that this house will not
receive any report from the judges, upon petitions presented
to the house for private bills, after Thursday, the 16th day
of May next. Ordered, that the said orders be printed and
published and affixed on the doors of this house and West-
minster-hall.
THE FATAL ACCIDENT AT WOOLWICH.—The
name of the unfortunate man who was killed by the acci-
dent which occurred near Woolwich Arsenal, on Friday
night, is 'William Anner, a tailor employed at the Royal
Artillery clothing store, and who was waiting at the
Arsenal main gate to meet his son, who is employed at the
establishment, when he was knocked down and frightfully
injured by a horse and cart. Several other persons who
received serious injuries are now progressing favourably.
The owner of the horse and vehicle is Mr. Newman, of
New-road, Woolwich, and not Messrs. Bayly and Newman,
as previously stated.
PLYMOUTH, Saturday.—The Orient, Capt. Law-
rence, belonging to Messrs. James Thompson and Co., of
London, from Adelaide, November the 3d, which arrived
in the Channel on Thursday, rounded the Cape of Good
Hope December the 20th, called at St. Helena on the 29th,
and left on the 31st. She brought 30 cabin and 40 steerage
passengers, and 500 ounces of golddust, valued at £2,000.
Her cargo consists of 2,600 bales of wool, 160 tons of cop-
per ore, and a few sundries. She spoke, December the
sth, lat. 26 S., long. 61 E., the Dutch brig Maria, from
Padang for Amsterdam, with loss of maintopmast ; 16th,
lat. 33 S., long. 33 E., the Dutch ship Foss Smit, from
Batavia for Rotterdam ; 21st, lat. 33 S., long. 16 E., the
French ship Osiris, from Mauritius for Nantes ; 24th, lat.
25 5., long. 6 E„ the Albatros, from Mauritius for Lon-
don ; 29th, lat. 4 W., long. 17 S., the Danish ship Arab,
from Amoy for New York; January 6th, lat. 4 S., long.
17 W., the French ship Bretagne ; 13th, lat. 6 N., long.
18 W., the Austrian ship Joaquina Victoria, from Bristol
for Manilla ; 16th, lat. 4 N., long. 22 VT., the ship Marian,
with loss of figurehead and part of bulwarks ; and, 18th,
lat. 13 N., long. 28 W., the ship Ceylon, frcm Foo-chow-
foo for London.

PLYMOUTH, Sunday, 6 pm.—The paddle-wheel
steamvessel Spitfire, 6, Lieut. and Commander Constantine
0. D. Ailingham, from the west coast of Africa, has just
arrived in the Sound.

THE INDIAN LOAN.—It appears that the total
amount of the tenders for the £3,000,000 Indian Loan was
£13,270,800, of which about £6,000,000 was at prices at and
above the minimum fixed by the Council-981—and about
£7,000,000 below it. Nene of the tenders at the minimum
have been successful, the lowest tender accepted in full
being at £9B Ils. 4d., while of tenders for £681,000 at
£9B Ils. 3., the proportion to be taken is only £108,200.
Nho-RspOitAaDl
wase—
HofotShPelGTAovLe,
held on Thursday, in the Board-room, the Rev. J. B.
The R
annual°YAL mF eRe Et
in g E
Owen in the chair. From the report read by the Secretary
r nGo rßsAoYf' st
Ns
(Mr. Stanford Smith) it appeared that the income for the
last year amounted to .£7,351 7s. 10d.—including donations,
£1,866 19s. 4d. ; subscriptions, £1,642 75. 6d. ; legacies,
£3,842 ls. The expenditure was—hospital expenses for
1860, £4,726 Bs.; paid debts incurred in 1858, £150; ditto
in 1859, £605 10s. ld.; paid on account of mortgage,
£1,800; making a total of £7,281 18s. Id. The medical
report shewed that the number of patients admitted to
the benefits of the hospital during the year was—in-
patients, 1,193; out-patients, 38,976, making a total of
40,160. The reports were adopted, and the committee of
management elected for the ensuing year. The customary
votes of thanks to the medical officers, the weekly Board,
and the chairman concluded the proceedings.
Loss OF A BRIG.—GREAT YARMOUIfH, WED-
NESILY.—Yestorday evening the brig Charles, of and for
Loudon from Sunderland with coals, Reynolds master, was
totally lost on the Corton Sands, off this ceast. The
Charles left Sunderland on Saturday, and brought up out-
side Aldborougla on Tuesday, when it came to blow hard
from the S.S.W., with a heavy sea. She made for the
Yarmouth Roads, but on entering Hewitt's Gat she sud-
denly lurched against her port helm, and came to the
ground on the Corton Sands, striking very heavily. She
hove down on her side, and the sea made clean breaches
over her. The crew of eight immediately took to the boat,
leaving everything behind, and had quitted the brig on:y
a few minutes when she went over, and was buried in the
sands. The wind was now blowing a gale, and the crew
with great difficulty reached a vessel in the Roads, which
picked them up almost exhausted. They were landed here
next morning, and were received into the Sailors' Home.
The Charles was 190 tons register, her estimated value
£l,OOO, and cargo £2OO, and was insured. Cargo uncertain.
TILE GREAT SKlP.—Since the great ship was put
upon the gridiron in Milford Haven she seems to have
passed away from the public mind, but the announcement
of the intention of the shareholders to hold their annual
meeting upon the 28th inst. has again worked a general
feeling of curiosity in respect to her and the prospects of the
company, which may make the following facts interesting.
She has been within the last fow weeks considerably altered
and modified under the immediate superintendence of the
Board of Directors, who are at present putting in an entirely
new deck, and in compliance with the requirements of the
Board of Trade, bushing the screw with brass, or rather
gun-metal bearings. No additional capital will be required
to defray the expense of these alterations, which will be
completed by the end of the month, so that the vessel may
again go to sea in March. It is probable her next voyage
will be to New York. The three actions which Mr. Scott
Russell has brought against the company have, by order of
the Court of Common Pleas, been consolidated intoone. Mr.
Russell's claim is in all X 60,000. The company have against
that gentleman a cross action for £130,000. Both causes will
come on for trial next term, when it is probable they may
be referred to arbitration, Mr. Hope has resigned his seat
at the board, and as yet no one has been nominated to suc-
ceed him,