The Sun.
London, England, 1861-10-28 00:00:00

GOVERNMENT EMIGRATION.—Her Majesty's
Emigration Commissioners have given notice of their inten •
tion to receive tenders on Thursday next, the 31st inst., for
a ship to proceed to Melbourne, Victoria, to be ready for
the reception of passengers on such day as the commis-
sioners may appoint between Dec. Ist and 10th. The ship
must be furnished with a fresh-water distilling apparatus,
with a person to manage it, holding a certificate of compe-
tence from the patentees, and with the requisite fuel to work
it all day throughout the voyage, and necessaries to keep it
in order. In consideration whereof the shipowner will be
entitled to reduce by one half the quantity of water re-
quired to be carried under the Passengers' Act.
FATAL ACCIDENT.—WhiIe some ropemakers and
labourers were employed in a part of the Middle Storehouse
in Portsmouth Dockyard on Saturday, a portion of a raised
platform, upon which were stowed a large quantity of coils
of rope, suddenly gave way and fell to the ground in a
slanting position, knocking four of t'ae men down. Three
of the men received but slight injuries ; but the fourth, a
"layer," named Francis Davis, was found to have received
a terrible fracture of the skull, and died soon after his re-
moval to the surgery of the dockyard. The deceased has
left a widow and five children, and is stated to have been
much respected by his superiors and workmates. An in-
quest will be held to-day.
COMMITTAL OF THE RATCLIFFE INCENDIARY.—
On Saturday Henry Clifford was brought before the Not-
tingham magistrates, charged with setting fire to the stacks
belonging to Mr. Parr, of Ratcliffe. A few days ago the
prisoner had an interview with Mr. Parr and described to
him the exact position of the stacks in the yard, and the
manner in which he set them on fire. The prisoner, how-
ever, now denied the charge and attempted to prove an
alibi, but was committed to take his trial at the next Not-
tingham Assizes upon the charge. The value of the pro-
perty destroyed amounted to more than £1,500.
ALLEGED ASSAD LTITPON A PREACHER BY A P OLICE
INSPECTOR AT LIVERPOOL.—OR Thursday the Liverpool
County Court magistrates were occupied five hours in trying
an action brought by Mr. Joseph Duckers, a licensed
preacher, who is also a provision dealer, residing at Leigh,
against Inspector Thomas Blair, of the Liverpool police
force, for L5O, as compen,ation for injuries sustained at his
hands. In Liverpool a law exists prohibiting street preach-
-1.`6 a.rk. owing to the frequent disturbances which
take place at such gatherings ; the eumpialuaL“,
in opposition to this law preached after hours on the 27tE
of July last, and used language calculated to excite the
populace. In consequence of a complaint which was made
to him, the defendant proceeded to where the plaintiff was
preaching, and ordered him to go away, using, as it was
alleged, a good deal of violence in order to expedite his
movements. It was also alleged that the plaintiff suffered
very severely at the time from injuries received by being
pushed in the back by the defendant's stick, and that he had
not at the present time regained his proper health. For the
defence it was proved that the inspector had acted bonafide
in the execution of his duty, and had used no unnecessary
force. The plaintiff was nonsuited with power of appeal, the
execution of the costs to be stayed in the event of an ap-
peal being made in due form.
A PLEASANT SITE FOR A HOSPITAL.—Workmen
have been engaged during the past week in fixing the sites
of the foundations of the new Herbert Hospital on Ridbrook-
common, adjoining the Great Dover-road, about nine miles
from London. Whatever may be the advantage of this posi-
tion, there is one thing very much to be regretted, that the
new' hospital will face the slope of the hill, and be within
300 yards of the new Greenwich and Deptford Cemetery,
which, from its elevation, is unfortunately prominent on a
large scale in the landscape. The daily average number of
funerals there is considerable; and certainly the sight of
the mournful ceremonies, with the attendant hearses, &c.,
is likely to be neither pleasant nor refreshing to the sick
men. In short, it moist be admitted that the sites chosen by
Government officials for our national buildings are passing
strange, if not quite inexplicable. The new barracks for
the Royal Marine Artillery at Portsmouth have just been
commenced in rear of a heavy coast fort commenced at the
same time, and mounting guns of the largest calibre ; so
that in case of attack all shot missing the batteries will
plump right into the barracks. Here we are to have our
model hospital erected right in front of one of the widest
graveyards in the kingdom. May we venture to ask who
is responsible fot these extraordinary selections ? concern-
ing which, sooner or later, there will certainly be some in-
quiry.—Army and Navy Gazette.

THE GENDARME AND THE DROWNING MAN.—
Alphonse Barr relates the following incident, which is
stated to have occurred not long since at a villaE.:e in Nor-
mandy :—" As a gendarme was walking along the banks of
a small river he suddenly heard cries for help from a drown-
ing man. He hastened to the spot, and saw the man strug-
gling in the water. Without a moment's hesitation he threw
off part of his uniform, plunged into the river, seized the
man, and brought him to land in a state of insensibility.
Proper restoratives having been applied, the man came to
himself, and earnestly inquired the name of his deliverer.
'No matter about my name,' replied the gendarme, ' but
you must give me yours, and your address, too." But I
really must know who you are, and I trust ycu will come to
see me." Oh I as to my name, you will find that at the
bottom of the proces-verbal.' I really do net think any
such formality requisite; I shall always be ready to own
my obligation to you, and these good people are all witness
of your noble action.' What noble action ?' asked the
gendarme. Why, your risking your own life to save
mine.' I did nothing of the kind ; I saw you in the water
in a forbidden part of the river, and I jumped in to arrest
yeu, not to save you from drowning, and must now draw
up a proces-verbal of the fact, and summon you before the
juge de paix,' All persuasion was useless, the proces-verbal
was drawn up, and in due course the offender appeared
before the juge de pais, when it was satisfactorily proved
that the accused had fallen into the river while watering a
horse, and had thus narrowly escaped drowning."
THE ANCIENT MARKET-CROSS OF EDINBURGH.
—Some time ago we noticed the proposal made by a num-
ber of gentlemen in Edinburgh to resuscitate, on or near the
old site, the ancient market-cross which had been removed
about a century ago, after being the mute witness of a long
series of historical events. This proposal we now learn has
been abandoned, the town council having refused by a
majority to grant the site required, but proposing another,
the acceptance of which the committee considered would be
" inconsistent with all traditims on the subject, and irre-
ooncileable with all the expectations that had been held out
to subscribers." The committee conclude their statement
by expressing " sincere concern at this issue of their re-
peated efforts, and fear that the possibility of reviving the
Cross of Edinburgh in any shape, through concurrence of
the town council, is at an end." "It is," they add, "duo
to themselves to say that they were prepared to place in the
High-street, and in a manner, as they think, no way calcu-
lated to obstruct the thoroughfare, an object, the name and
figure of which are identified with numerous important
inc'dents in Scottish history, and which could scarcely fai
to be an attraction and source of interest to strangers.
With their, at least well meant, offer rejected, nothing is left
for them but to relinquish further proceedings ; and with
best thanks to the Lord Provost and the minority who sup-
ported his motion, also to those who liberally aided them
by subscriptions, and likewise to the Royal Scottish Aca-
demy and Society of Antiquaries, they now, as is most
fitting, order that the money gathered for the re-erection of
the cross be returned to the respective donors." The de-
sign submitted was as nearly as possible a fac simile of the
cress removed in 1756, and the site requested was a) the
opening of Parliament-square in the High-street. The ma-
jority of the town council (whose small sympathy with tra-
dition and antiquity was singularly instanced in their re-
fusal to fulfil the Act of Parliament in reference to Trinity
College Church) proposed a site opposite the County-
buildings, which did not belong to them, and which an Act
of Parliament had expressly declared should not be built
upon.

NEW ZEALAND GOLDFIELDS.—The newly dis-
covered goldfields at Tuapoka, about 30 miles from Toko-
mairiro, are exciting great interest in Otago and other pro-
vinces of New Zealand. A very interesting letter has been
published by Mr. Gillies, a member of the Provincial
Council, describing a visit to Tuapeka towards the end of
June. He says the gold is found in some places lying sea
the flat surface of the blue slate rock, and in one rich claim
it lay sprinkled about like oats sown in a field. In others,
and more generally, it is found in ledges of the rock and
deposited in the hollows, where the ledge or hollow crosses
what had formerly been the course of the stream. In some
places it is embedded in the blue slate rock several inches,
and it is to be found in the quartz. The gold is doubtless
to be found distributed over the whole valley in paying
quantities. From careful inquiries of at least 100 per-
sons who had been longest at work he was convinced that
their average earnings had been over two ounces per
man per day, and that the average earnings of all
who had been at work with proper appliances would be at
' least an ounce a day. One party averaged 4oz,l6dwt.per man
per day. In one day a party of seven took 38oz, for their
day's work, and other remarkable finds had been made such
as from three-quarters to an ounce of gold to a tin dishful
of washing stuff; but these, of course, are exceptional cases.
Mr. Gillies is of opinion that the gold is distributed over
a large tract of country, and that it is likely to be a per-
manent as well as a rich goldfield. The country around is
beautifully grassed, and in the Tuapeka and Waitahuma
valleys there is some of the richest agricultural land in the
province. About 1,000 men were on the spot, and the
greatest harmony and cheerfulness prevailed. The
weather was fine, but very cold in the nights and mornings.
The Lindis goldfields have not realized the great expecta-
tions formed of them. The latest accounts state
that the diggers were leaving, and that not more
than 100 remained on the two diggings, who were barely
paying their expenses. A party of old hands had been sent
out prospecting by the way of the upper gorge and surround -
ing ranges at the expense of a firm of storekeepers at the
diggings, and the same firm had engaged another party to
sink a hole in the flat, near their stores, so as to bottom the
flat,„which had not yet been done. Good order prevailed
at the diggings. The average find of gold daily ranged from
a pennyweight to half an ounce to the party (not indi-
vidually), and some of it was so very fine that it could
scarcely be washed. A party of five had only made a pent.
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